Episode 54: World Science Festival 2019, Activision & The Wandering Earth

Welcome back for another episode of the ongoing celebration of being a Nerd, the weather in Queensland is starting to cool off a little. It takes an extra couple of minutes to cook your feet on the concrete now. We have another wonderful episode full of fantastic material for everyone, and believe me when I say everyone. Before we go further, we wish to have a moment to farewell the Mars Opportunity Rover, the gutsy little robot that could, and did for 15 years, so long and see you soon. First up Buck is excited to tell us about the World Science Festival happening this year in Queensland. There are events all around the place ranging from Chinchilla (the dinosaur capital of Australia) to the northern coast in Townsville and Gladstone not just in Brisbane. Buck is like a kid in a candy shop trying to work out which events he wants to attend. Check it out there are so many things to do and see it is totally amazing. There are even films being shown at GOMA (The Gallery of Modern Art) that you can look forward to. The Professor has news about the jobs cut at Activision and the ramifications of it. Also a rumour about job offers circulating for the recently unemployed. This is another major studio/publisher that is facing trouble with declines in sales, share price and general profitability. Wonder when they will start to listen to the customers and make games fun again. Also just bring back games with great storylines, not everyone wants to play a battle royale. DJ has found an amazing movie for us to all go and watch, titled Wandering Earth. It is a Sci-Fi from China on a big budget and is looking well worth watching. We will let you know what we think, but remember we encourage you to make your own decisions not just be sheeple and follow mindlessly what some cretin says. We also have the games being played and the lists of shout outs, remembrances, birthdays, events and general banter. Also we are sad to announce that no one was interested in the date with the DJ.


EPISODE NOTES:


World Science Festival Brisbane 2019 - http://www.worldsciencefestival.com.au/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA14TjBRD_ARIsAOCmO9b4a4oCKRet7RwIKcYPNs3VXlKlj2QXL7RbnpOZNd7SY9MhDCuDrD4aAmynEALw_wcB

Activision Job Cuts - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-08/activision-is-said-to-plan-job-cuts-as-sales-of-key-games-stall

Wandering Earth the movie - https://www.flicks.com.au/reviews/chinese-blockbuster-the-wandering-earth-might-be-the-best-sci-fi-movie-of-2019/?fbclid=IwAR23djvIMpwbHdA_moWg7qnkyrVqkLERcukORh978SxohkKI-QdOefsIRZI

Games currently playing

Professor

– Wargroove - https://wargroove.com/

DJ

– Apex Legends - https://www.ea.com/games/apex-legends

Buck

– The Elder Scroll V: Skyrim - https://store.steampowered.com/app/72850/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim/


Other topics discussed

Total Recall (1990 movie)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Recall_(1990_film)

Solaris (2002 US movie)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solaris_(2002_film)

List of Activision games

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Activision_video_games

Activision Blizzard shuts down King’s Seattle studio

- https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-02-13-activision-blizzard-reportedly-shutters-kings-seattle-studio

Further info about The Wandering Earth

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wandering_Earth

Shadow Raiders (TV Series)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_Raiders

War Planets (Toy Series)

- http://www.virtualtoychest.com/warplanets/warplanets.html

World Engine (Shadow Raiders reference)

- https://shadowraiders.fandom.com/wiki/World_Engine

Wargroove now on Steam

- https://store.steampowered.com/app/607050/Wargroove/

Apex Legends will have Solo and Duo modes

- https://www.pcgamer.com/au/apex-legends-could-soon-get-solo-and-duos-modes/

Achievement hunter playing Apex Legends

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yfm5TYQdMC0


Gary Larson Art

- Thagomizer - https://i.imgur.com/Fv9wXyX.jpg

- Dinosaur Cranial Capacity - https://i3.wp.com/i.racjonalista.pl/img/strony/larson1.jpg

Shoutouts

16 Apr 2018 - Gary Larson – The man behind the name the “Thagomizer” a feature of stegosaurus anatomy, was coined in a Far Side cartoon - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Larson

24 Jan 2019 - Hayao & his son Goro Miyazaki are making 2 new Studio Ghibli movies - https://screenrant.com/hayao-miyazaki-studio-ghibli-new-movies/

11 Feb 1999 – Final Fantasy VIII turns 20 - https://thespinoff.co.nz/games/12-02-2019/final-fantasy-8-is-the-best-and-weirdest-final-fantasy/

Remembrances

7 Feb 2019 – Albert Finney, English actor who worked in film (Annie (1982), Erin Brockovich, Big Fish, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Bourne Legacy and Skyfall) television and theatre. He died of a chest infection at 82 in London, England - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Finney

12 Feb 1804 - Immanuel Kant, German philosopher who is a central figure in modern philosophy. In his doctrine of transcendental idealism, he argued that space, time and causation are mere sensibilities; "things-in-themselves" exist, but their nature is unknowable. Toward the end of his life he became increasingly antisocial and bitter over the growing loss of his memory and capacity for work. Kant became totally blind and died of poor health at 79 in Königsberg, Prussia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanuel_Kant

12 Feb 1909 - New Zealand's worst maritime disaster of the 20th century took place when 75 people died leaving 30 survivors after the ferry SS Penguin struck a rock in Wellington Harbour and sank off Cape Terawhiti. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Penguin

14 Feb 1779 – Captain James Cook, British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. Cook made detailed maps of Newfoundland prior to making three voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. He was stabbed to death at age 50 in Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cook

Birthdays

12 Feb 1809 – Charles Darwin, was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution. His proposition that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors is now widely accepted and considered a foundational concept in science, born in The Mount, Shrewsbury, Shropshire - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Darwin

12 Feb 1980 – Christina Ricci, American actress (The Addams Family, The Addams Family Values, Casper, Black Snake Moan & Speed Racer) and producer. She is known for playing unconventional characters with a dark edge, born in Santa Monica, California - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Ricci

13 Feb 1923 – Chuck Yeager, former United States Air Force officer, flying ace, and record-setting test pilot. In 1947, he became the first pilot confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. Yeager broke the sound barrier on October 14, 1947, flying the X-1 Glamorous Glennis at Mach 1.07 at an altitude of 45,000 ft (13,700 m) over the Rogers Dry Lake in the Mojave Desert, born in Myra, West Virginia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Yeager

13 Feb 1950 – Peter Gabriel, English singer, songwriter, and record producer who rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, Gabriel launched a successful solo career with "Solsbury Hill" as his first single. His 1986 album,So, is his best-selling release and is certified triple platinum in the UK and five times platinum in the U.S. The album's most successful single, "Sledgehammer", won a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards and, according to a report in 2011, it was MTV's most played music video of all time.  - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gabriel

Events of Interest

12 Feb 1947 - The last Qing Emperor of China, Puyi abdicates after losing the support of the Chinese people and thus the mandate of heaven -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puyi

12 Feb 1961 – Venera 1 was launched in flew past Venus on 19 May of the same year; however, radio contact with the probe was lost before the flyby, resulting in it returning no data. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venera_1

12 Feb 2001 – The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous – Shoemaker or NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touchdown in the "saddle" region of 433 Eros becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEAR_Shoemaker

Intro

Artist – Goblins from Mars

Song Title – Super Mario - Overworld Theme (GFM Trap Remix)

Song Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNMe6kF0j0&index=4&list=PLHmTsVREU3Ar1AJWkimkl6Pux3R5PB-QJ

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