Predator defecation, Digital Distribution & Poor Accounting

Deviboy has gone missing. What nefarious act has the DJ performed? Where is our co-host? Don't worry, he isn't dead, just busy.

It's enough to make your butthole clench. Or it would be, if you were a frog. A species of beetle has been discovered that used predator defecation in order to escape being lunch. It's a bit gross, but points for style.

It's time to enter the future and go entirely digital, according to Take Two's CEO. DJ likes his feelies too much to stop buying physical collectors editions though. Maybe we could convince him with a VR house full of VR collectables?

If you need motivation to get your accounting in order, it turns out animators in Japan are being short changed by the incompetence of the studios' finance teams. Poor business skills in a highly in demand creative industry? Say it ain't so!

This week DJ did nothing of note while Professor hiked across Iceland with a baby.

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Smile, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Paul Allen’s Living Computers Museum + Labs & BRZRKR

Has Professor finally found a way to keep DJ in the time limit? Some say yes.

Can a smile really make you think better of someone? What if it would make you think worse of them? This study looked at the perceived trustworthiness of people with various disorders, but the Nerds think it's not particularly rigorous.

Microsoft Flight Simulator will come with a physical edition including a lovely hardcover flight manual, and ten discs. TEN discs. It's going to be a pretty significant drive eater but if you don't have a good internet connection or want a pretty book this is the way to go.

It's time to say goodbye to Paul Allen's Living Computer Museum + Labs. Paul's museum is the only place a regular civilian can access the classic Big Iron mainframes of the 60s and 70s, but they've recently announced their temporary closure which is sounding more and more permanent as more news comes out. Now if you'll excuse us, Professor needs to have a bit of a cry.

Keanu Reeves is writing a comic book called Brzkr which sounds like the most Mary Sue self insert fanfiction a man could write. We'll have to wait for the full story to come out, but the main character sounds annoying. Maybe it'll have good art though.

This week, Professor sat around waiting in Forager, DJ jumped around in Nohra and Dev-i-Boy formed an army in VRChat.

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Half-Life projects, Comic-Con program guide, Playstation Factory & Esports Mental Toughness

First, Dev-i-boy found a list of Valve games that never came out. These games were created in the dark times before Half Life: Alyx was announced, and include some interesting looks at what Half Life 3 could have been.

You can't go to Comic-Con this year, but you can watch it online. There's a great program with tons of shows including comics, television and gaming news. It's also probably the most accessible Comic-Con ever, since you don't need to leave your house and the shows are free.

First the robots came for the car factory jobs, and I said nothing. Then they came for the Playstation 4 assembly jobs, and I said "Cool, that's some nice tech". Sony has almost fully automated their assembly line and only use four people on the ends of a single assembly line that makes one console every 30 seconds. It's awesome.

Esports are stressful, and high skill players show the same signs of stress as their analogue counterparts. This doesn't surprise the Nerds at all, but it's an interesting study.

This week, Professor played a chaotic real time dice rolling game, DJ kept the peace in Agents of Mayhem and Dev-i-boy got distracted by job applications. Wish him luck.

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Pokemon Snap, Apple Lootboxes, Super Collider & Cyberpunk 2077 featuring Stephen from Sigmate Studios & Comics2movies

This week, Deviboy returns from his exile, and Stephen from Comics2Movies and XCT joins us to discuss a new comic.

Devi brings news from the far off land of Nintendo. It's time to get your cameras out for the New Pokemon Snap. Apart from Nintendo's hopeless naming, it's shaping up to be an expanded photography game for the new generation. We all hope they fit in the fun easter eggs and interactions.

Oh no, Loot Boxes! Apple are being taken to court for exploiting children via the App Store. We think we've got a solution to the problem too, so be ready to send us your opinions on the system.

Supercollider? I hardly know her! CERN are designing a 100km collider almost 4 times the size of the Large Hadron Collider. The LHC failed to open a portal to hell and lead to a demon invasion, but maybe the Future Circular Collider will. Somebody get Doomguy on speed dial.

Cyberpunk 2077 is delayed again, but to tide us over until the release a comic series titled Trauma Team. This also gives it the accidental honour of being the first piece of Cyberpunk 2077 to release. Until then, keep working to create a hyper corporate dystopia so we can all live out our Cyberpunk fantasies.

In gaming, Professor went up against space card sharks in Star Realms, Deviboy relived his childhood in Raze 2 and Stephen fell in love with Hearthstone.

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Space Movie, Space Cement & PokeCoin

Nanoo Nanoo.

Ryan Gosling is going back to space for Andy Weir's next book, which isn't even out yet but is already casting actors. This one has a working title of Project Hail Mary and features a lone scientist on a spaceship trying to save the world. Slightly higher stakes than The Martian, but Andy's books are always great.

Astronauts are also going to use pee to build houses on the moon. Let's hope NASA has a large surplus of air fresheners to send up with them, because this cement is probably the most useful way to use human waste on the moon, but it's going to smell.

Back on Earth, Niantic are trying to deflate the Pokecoin economy by severely lowering the minimum wage. Nobody seems to be happy with this, but Australia is just the test site, so it's coming to a phone near you soon.

This week Professor took a trip to a far away planet to care for slimes, and DJ found out what happens when you swim with the cardsharks.

Check in next week for probably less pee jokes. Probably.

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Nintendo Lawyers, Home Gardening & Comic-Con At Home featuring Shaun from Comics2Movies

This week we invite our special guest Shaun Keenan, creator of Xtreme Champion Tournament (in which mythical and legendary heroes face off) to share his thoughts on some news from San Diego Comic Con.

Kicking things off, the Nerds discuss Nintendo's itchy DMCA trigger finger, they’ve taken down the tragically short-lived DirectX 12 Super Mario 64 Port. This was a fan work based on the Mario 64 decompilation project, reformed into a gorgeous 4k Ultra-Widescreen rendition of everyone's favourite plumber. And they also lost 2TB of data including user account details, which are now being used to hack people. Oops.

There's now one less reason to leave the house, since gardening provides a boost to your emotional well-being that is as powerful as going out for dinner or taking a run. Grow chickens and you have an excuse for a dinner and a run as well. So, is gardening the ultimate weapon against millennial depression memes?

Lastly, Shaun chips in to talk about SDCC's move to being an online only event. Pros: Better food. Better chairs. No lines. Cons: No costumes. No crowd excitement. It's a tough sell for some of us, but the rest of us are perfectly happy to stay at home.

This week, Professor broke his brain in HyperRogue and DJ confronted his fear of the dark in Alan Wake.

Come back next week, we miss you.

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Virtual meetings, Wonder Woman, WarriOrb & Autism Studies

Welcome, to the World of TOMOROOOW!

What does listening to a podcast have to do with listening to your boss? Science is now showing benefits to virtual meetings. Which means one day, even your boss might be replaced by a voice over the wire. This still doesn't mean you can get out of wearing pants.

Wonder Woman's director thinks DC shouldn't follow the tried and true MCU formula. Sure, it worked for them, but can it be pulled off twice? Let us know if you have a good argument for there being room for two comic cinematic universes.

WarriOrb is a new game that's just been released on Steam. But following a highly popular demo, WarriOrb's initial sales have been disappointingly low. The devs have posted their own analysis on Reddit, and they're understandably confused.

Wrapping up, we have a discussion about scientific studies involving Autistic people.

We played Crysis and Legends of Runeterra this week. Professor's computer didn't melt playing Crysis, and DJ isn't any better at counting cards.

Wait around to hear from us next week with another great episode.

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Robin Hood, Bohemia Interactive, ESRB & Mathematically perfect steak

Welcome back. We've been expecting you.

We have a bit of a longer episode than usual this week because we just had so many interesting people to talk about, including a liar who looks like Hugh Jackman, and one of the most prolific Astronomers to ever live.

But, first up, the Nerds discuss the rumoured Disney Robin Hood remake. In live action. With photorealistic CGI. This sounds terrifying. This is a terrible idea. This will haunt your nightmares forever.

One of Professor's favourite game studios has had a great year, and Professor wants to talk about their future. Bohemia Interactive has some great projects in the works that are well worth checking out, so we've got a summary for you.

Dev-i-Boy has brought us the ESRB's disappointing attempt to resolve the Lootbox debate. He and Professor agree that this is a poor response. Maybe one day there will be a solution, but not today.

Dev-i has also found the algorithm for creating the perfect steak. It involves dozens of factors and complicated equations. But don't pull this paper out next time you go to a barbecue, or everyone will go home before you start cooking.

As usual, we bring you the games of the week. Professor and his girlfriend are finding out why they shouldn't have kids in Think of the Children. DJ and Professor are still playing Generation Zero. Professor is better at surviving the robot apocalypse than he is at raising kids. Dev-i is playing VR chat again. We wish him luck in his quest to become an anime girl.

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Half-Life, Dragon's Lair & A NEW PLAYER HAS ENTERED THE GAME !!!

This week the Nerds welcome Dev-i-boy to the group. Dev-i-boy is also known as Brad, a Brisbane game developer, who we interviewed around a year ago. Check that one out too, it's a good one and it'll be in the show notes below.

Professor and Dev-i-boy are gushing over Half Life: Alyx, despite a massive lack of Valve Index availability in Australia. Why, Valve, why?. HL:Alyx also doubles as an online lecture platform, a Cover your Cough training simulator and apparently, a generally good game.

DJ wants to see the Dragons Lair movie. Ryan Reynolds has been cast in a live action remake of a classic animated Laserdisc game from 1983. Don Bluth is on board, so it should be something interesting to watch.

Once again, the Nerds take on the topic of dinosaur chickens. Professor rants about the software design skills of Dennis Nedry and Dev-i-boy thinks there's no point in bringing back dinosaur chickens. But imagine the drumsticks on those chooks.

As usual, we cover the games of the week and remember some famous figures who passed away this week.

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Toyota, 1917 & Google Stadia

Well, here we come, waltzing down the street, getting hot and sweaty, with all this humidity. Hey hey we’re the Nerds yeah, and people say we look kind of funny, particularly Buck the big Boomer. Haha, admit it, you started to sing that in to the Monkey’s theme tune didn’t you, if not you just went back and tried it. We this week we bring you another awesome episode to listen to while you rest in the shade and enjoy a breeze on the long weekend.

          First up we are taking flight with Buck, Toyota, and Joby. No, Joby is not a new host, it is an aviation company that Toyota is investing in to increase its presence in the transport arena. Also this is the next step to having vehicles like in the Jetsons. Check out the drawings in the link, a tilt-engine vehicle that looks like a cross between a drone and a helicopter. This is seriously cool. Also while looking around at all the different transport tech news Buck also found some artists renderings of potential vehicles for space travel from Lexus. Wait till you hear what Buck and Professor think one of them looks like. Which is your favorite option?

          Next up DJ has a story about the Producers Guild Awards, in particular 1917. Want to know what movies won which awards, listen in. Also you can hear about the movie 1917, with some of the various story plot points to look out for. For those unfamiliar with it 1917 is a movie set in World War One. It is the story of a soldier and his friend trying to save the lives of 1600 British troops. There are some funny parts, but it is a moving drama based on stories told by the Grand Father of the Director Sam Mendes. DJ has also asked for your predictions for the Oscars and who you think should be nominated and win, so let us know on either: Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

          Next up we have Professor bringing us an update on the saga of Crytek and CIG (Star Citizen). Would you believe that so far CIG have spent over $900,000 on this legal matter? Yep, for the company started on kickstarter and now sells space fleets for $27000 they are really going hard. Want to know what has happened then listen in. As usual we have all the shout outs, remembrances, birthdays, and events of interest. Until next week, please remember to take care of yourselves, look out for each other, and stay hydrated.

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Sestrin, Star Citizen & Anime Spin off movie

Welcome to the latest episode from the Nerds. We have been lucky to have some glorious rain this week and have enjoyed it. Now for those who want to get healthy without the exercise we have news that will make you happy. There is research into a new protein that has delivered very interesting results so far. It is still a long way from human trials but so far it is looking promising. If it works it will help boost the health of people everywhere. Now, you are keen to know what this break-through is now aren’t you, well, you know what to do. That’s right folks, listen in and hear all about it.

                Next up we have news about a Violet Evergarden movie that is looking awesome. We know that you will enjoy this fine offering from Kyoto Studios. The movie involves Violet helping someone feeling trapped and missing someone they care about. We haven’t seen it yet so we can’t give you any spoilers, but with what we have managed to get hold of it is looking awesome. We invite you to listen in to learn more about it and hear what the Nerds think.

                Now last up we have Professor, who had trouble with water in his internet. This week he brings us news about Star Citizen, and it is looking interesting. We have the latest news about the law suit that was looming over the engine being used. We have news about a number of things surrounding this game. Which folks; is apparently now available for purchase at the low price of$40, or if you want to own your very own instant fleet that is an option. Yes Buck does his usual rant about the game and is a complete Boomer about it.

                As usual we have the game reviews, shout outs, remembrances, birthdays, and special events of interest. We hope you enjoy this episode and as always remember to stay safe, look out for each other and stay hydrated.

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PS5 Controllers, 2020 in Anime & Mars Rover 2020

WOOHOO!!! Happy New Year folks, we hope you are all safe where ever you are in the world. May the new year bring you lots of joy and laughter. At the start of this episode we wish to celebrate the fact that we have achieved 100 episodes, yay!! Now, first topic of the week is from Professor, and it is looking at the PS5, yes that is right, the PS5. We seriously manage to get our one and only Professor talking about the PS5, and positively too. We discuss changes being made to the controller and what it means for the future and the past. Confused? Well listen in to find out exactly what is happening, the discussion is quite interesting.

                Next up we have DJ bringing us the year ahead in Anime. We have a list of some things to look forward to and what we hope for. We discuss what is looking interesting and why. DJ tells us his hopes and discusses what he likes on the list, and so does Buck. We also have news about upcoming changes to Evangelion. That’s right grab hold of something and get ready for this as it is awesome. If you want to know what is happening you know what to do.

                Next up we have Buck and the new Mars Rover set to launch later this year for the latest mission to Mars from NASA. This is looking sweet. Remember we were talking in a previous episode last year about the training of NASA scientists happening in Australia in preparation for the next mission? This is it! Yep, the search for signs of life on Mars is going to the next level with the new Rover. Buck is starting to Geek out about this and will be keeping us updated as news comes to hand. If you want to find out more about what is happening on the newest mission listen in and see where the smiley face is.

                As normal we have the regular shout outs, remembrances, Birthdays, and special events. We wish to ask that if you are able to donate to help the Rural Fire Services, or any Firefighter battling the fires in Australia please do. We have posted links on our Facebook page to a few and there are many other options, but please help, thank you. Once again we wish everyone a Happy New Year, stay safe, look out for each other and stay hydrated.

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Mandalorian, Wormholes & Two Shitties

Welcome back to another fun filled episode from those irascible Nerds we all look forward to each week. Oh, and what a show we have for you all, let me tell you. What, hurry up you say, well then. First up we have DJ giving us an update on the Marvel movies failing to impress and the arguments have continued. This week we have some delusional moron, believe me you will agree that they are a moron when you hear what they have done. Oh right, well this delusional moron says what has got to be the dumbest thing and the biggest lie in history. It sets Buck off like all the fireworks for New Year’s Eve in one go. My goodness, he really tears into this one like nothing before. If you listen in just to hear him rant about some misguided fool then you will love this one, plus you might learn a few new insults.

Next up, after he catches his breathe Buck tells us about how some scientists believe they have figured out how to identify the existence of Wormholes. That’s right we said Wormholes. Those supposed mythical sci-fi tunnels through time and space purportedly linking us to the farthest reaches of the universe? Multiverse? Dimensional gateways? Well who knows, the gravity is more then we can fathom at this time. But it is something to do with that….Ahh, almost had me there. You will have to listen in to hear what and how the physicists think they can determine whether or not a wormhole exists.

Then we move to a legendary tale for inspiration in what we have crappily dubbed “A Tale of Two Shitties!” Sorry, couldn’t resist the sloppy pun, messy though it is, haha, that just plopped out. Anyway, we look at two epically bad mistakes from two different games studios and have a laugh and cry at the stupidity and hubris involved. These tales of woe and calamity are similar but different, and for one we will cheer and hope. The other we will jeer and poke, fun of naturally. Now, since we have you so excited to know this tale of misfortune we invite ye to listen further to the tale in yonder episode.

Finishing off as always with the regular shout outs, remembrances, birthdays, and special events of interest. We also wish to invite you all to come join us at Supanova in Brisbane on Saturday 9th November. We do not have the faintest idea of which table we will be at, other than it is the TNC productions booth. So come along and say hi, join us in our game and meet the goofballs that are the Nerds. As always take care of yourselves, look out for each other and stay hydrated.

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Machines, Steam & Godzilla

Hello, Ni hao, G’day, welcome to another episode of rambunctious fun and games from those Nerds we all love. We wish to say an especially warm welcome to our friends in China, and thank you for listening, you are awesome. Now this week we have Buck up first with news about the rise of the machines. Now please note we said rise, not uprising, two totally different things which we explain in the show. We discuss the different attitudes between countries like Japan who are excited to see advancement in AI and robotics; compared to the sad grumpy people in Hollywood who think Robots are going to take over the world in a violent revolution. But honestly, if the robots are going to take over can they hurry up, I mean have you looked at what those apes we call politicians are doing to the place? Things are so bad we have idiots somehow gluing themselves to the road, we all learned about glue in at 5 years of age making arts and craft. Even then we never managed to glue ourselves to the floor.

Next up we look at France and the judgement against Steam finally coming down. Now this is going to be an interesting topic as we look at some of the ramifications. Plus we ask the real hard hitting question that really defines the situation. That’s right folks, you will hear it here first, are the French gamers really going to care what the courts and government say? Are Valve really going to be concerned about this? If in space no one can hear you scream are all farts silent but violent? Um, yes, well if anyone can answer those let us know, these are truly hard hitting facts that we wish to know.

This week we have a review from the DJ on the anime trilogy of Godzilla movies, and wow these are looking really cool. Spoiler, they rock and you should really take the time to go and watch them some time soon. While it is cgi animation it still works well and is a whole lot of fun with the usual Japanese drama that makes Anime so much fun. These movies are Godzilla: Planet of the monsters, Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle, and the last movie Godzilla: The Planet Eater. Check them out and let us know what you think in the Nerds Amalgamated group page on Facebook.

As usual we have the games being played, shout out, remembrances, birthdays, and special events. Once again thank you for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode. Take care of yourselves, look out for each other and stay hydrated.

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Second Galaxy, Space Hotel & Creative Emmys

I’m a Nerd and I’m okay, I play all night and I sleep all day, I read science journals, I eat my lunch I ride on the hover train (I wish). Welcome back to another exciting and fun filled episode from those whacky Nerds. First up this week we have a story about China influencing game studios to block any references to protests in Hong Kong. Obviously we weren’t approached, probably because of Buck’s rants. But this is kind of bad as it is enforcing the propaganda of a military regime. So please listen in and then go forth and show support for Hong Kong in its bid for democratic freedom from oppression. Viva la revolution!

Next up we look at news of resorts and hotels being planned for space. That’s right, hotels in orbit! You will be able to play basketball in one if you are so inclined. There is even mention of accommodation available on the ISS for a price, but no airport transfers, sorry. So if you know anyone expecting a return visit from aliens and wanting to avoid those pesky immigration queues then this might be just the ticket.

Then we look at the Emmy awards, particularly the creative side. They took place recently and there are some interesting winners to take a look at. There are the usual suspects that are to be expected, such as Game of Thrones, but also others such as “Age of Sail.” So take a look through the list and see who you like and also if there is something you like and we over looked it.

As always we have the shout outs, remembrances, birthdays, and special events from this week in history. We are planning on being at Supanova again this year, if you are let us know and we will be happy to see you. Until next time stay safe, take care of each other and stay hydrated.

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Russians, Komodo & Apps

Welcome back, we have another fun episode for you all this week. First up we have an absolute idiot in Russia insulting adult comic book readers. Now, we must apologise for the response to this segment, we Nerds love our comics and really enjoy reading them. As fans we love the artwork, the complexity of the stories, the downright fun of it all, and the insane gadgets that end up becoming a reality. Although we are still waiting to see the Fantastic 4’s flying car. Now things get heated in this as you might expect, but wow, you will love this. Would you like to learn more?

Next up we have Australian Dragons and their last surviving cousins living overseas. For all those people who have decided to live abroad after they finish university you aren’t the first. Oh no, not even close. You are a few thousand years behind these guys. Now as typical Aussies they like to relax over a nice steak; enjoy a bit of time in the sun, and when they get angry fighting like a legend. Just in case you are wondering who we are talking about it is the, yeah nah. You will need to listen in to find out.

Do you wish you could go play certain games you had on an old phone but are having trouble finding it? Perhaps it is a game on a friend’s phone and no matter how hard you look you just never seem to know where they got it from. Well things are about to get worse, because Infinity Blade are no longer supporting some of their games. So, better check out what this means for that bundle of games you have in your library and read those acknowledged agreements and game licences. Are you freaking out? Well listen in to find out what is happening before it is too late.

As usual we have the shout outs, remembrances, birthdays and special events of interest. We would like to say thank you to all the awesome fire fighters battling the numerous bush fires raging around Australia. For all those people who have lost homes, businesses, jobs and all those things that make a life we hope you are safe. As always, stay safe, look out for each other and stay hydrated.

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