Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about drones. In the news, the common clay of the New West think they're seeing nefarious drones everywhere and we have WordPress vs WP Engine.

• Drones

• Drones

• Drones

• Rym - 1-900-490-FREAK
• Scott - Elevator Music

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about knives. Learn to use the right knife for the right task with the right technique in the kitchen, and your life will be better. Also learn how to care for them. In the news, the assassination of a health insurance CEO brought a deep simmering anger to the surface of American society, surprising many, and the Interstella 5555 "remaster" isn't.

• Knives

• Knives

• Knives

• Rym - Restored - Star Trek The Animated Series Public Service Ad
• Scott - Lord of the Maps

Tonight on GeekNights, we review The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. It's a Zelda game and you probably should play it. In the news, the big Nintendo leak isn't that exciting and Reiner Knizia’s SHOCKING Confession.

• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

• Rym - BART Speedrun Records
• Scott - BigBoxDB

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Look Back. Directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama and based on Tatsuki Fujimoto's manga of the same title. You may know Tatsuki Fujimoto from Goodbye Eri and Chainsaw Man. In the news, Rym's flight home from Singapore has its own wikipedia page, Anno is producing a new Space Battleship Yamato film, and the Uzumaki anime has some drama.

• Look Back (2024)

• Look Back (2024)

• Rym - T-Bar Problems
• Scott - BBC Sound Effects

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about cores and concurrency and threads and such. Also Rym and Emily fought a bear. In the news, Intel's chip instability saga has concluded, and Python 3.13.0 is pretty good.

• Multicore Multiprocess Concurrency and Such

• Multicore Multiprocess Concurrency and Such

• Rym - How Mei Blows Up the Game
• Scott - Popular Science (May 1872)

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the evils of web trackers and analytics. They are used almost exclusively to feed the ad industry and you should block them wherever possible. Rym has installed the microcode patch for some Intel chips and you should too if you have one of them.

In the news, Microsoft is moving to a security-first posture, nostalgia accounts on social media are making up nonsense, and chatbots are intruding into and slowly ruining online social spaces.

• Web Trackers and Analytics

• Web Trackers and Analytics

• Rym - We Spent $20 To Achieve RCE And Accidentally Became The Admins Of .MOBI
• Scott - Magician's Brick

Tonight on GeekNights we review the absolutely fantastic LUPIN III Kabuki Production. Even if you have never experienced kabuki and know nothing about it, this is 100% worth watching. It's a top tier experience. In the news, everything on Temu and Shein is full of poison and the updated Chicago Manual of Style just dropped!

• LUPIN III Kabuki Production

• LUPIN III Kabuki Production

• Rym - Consciousness
• Scott - The Podcast Index

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Friends vs Friends. It's a fantastic quick arena-duel FPS with cards. It evokes the feeling of playing weird mods against your friends online in 1998. In the news, PAX Unplugged is December 6-8, the keynote speaker is Elizabeth Hargrave (of Wingspan fame), "hard mode" is a great way to frame handicapping in games, Microsoft lays off even more people, and Sony's Concord failed in legendary catastrophic fashion.

• Friends vs Friends

• Friends vs Friends

• Rym - Corndog Delight
• Scott - Visiting Area 5150: Investigating a PC Demo

Tonight on GeekNights, Rym begins a series of short episodes where he talks about something that's stuck in his craw. Join us in the forum thread to prove him wrong or ask questions. Whatever threads get the most engagement will lead to "part two" episodes of those topics going deeper.

This is why you can't let Scott go out of town. Mods asleep, post about structural concerns of government!

• A Fourth Branch of the Federal Government with Rym

• A Fourth Branch of the Federal Government with Rym

Tonight on GeekNights, Rym begins a series of short episodes where he talks about something that's stuck in his craw. Join us in the forum thread to prove him wrong or ask questions. Whatever threads get the most engagement will lead to "part two" episodes of those topics going deeper.

This is why you can't let Scott go out of town. Mods asleep, post quantum physics.

• Quantum Physics with Rym

• Quantum Physics with Rym

• Rym - A Brief History of Quantum Mechanics - with Sean Carroll

Tonight on GeekNights, Rym and Emily review Slay the Princess. It's a graphic novel philosophical horror game in a sense. It'll give you a lot to chew on and it's definitely worth playing! From Black Tabby Games, you may recognize Abby Howard from Penny Arcade's Strip Search!

• Slay the Princess

• Slay the Princess

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Scavengers Reign, a science fiction drama television series created by Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner for Max, based on their 2016 short film Scavengers. It's not bad. In the news, Deadpool & Wolverine is worth seeing if you like Deadpool, Arcane and Terminator Zero are already leaked, and the Rick and Morty anime is coming August 16th.

• Scavengers Reign

• Scavengers Reign

• Rym - Fever Feels Horrible, but is Actually Awesome!
• Scott - DanceDanceRevolution THE SAMPLES (1st-5thMix)

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider PAX Unplugged 2024. It was a top tier PAX. In the news, the Rangers aren't doing well, Marvel Overwatch is exactly what it looks like, and Fortnite has to pay back the kids it ripped off.

• PAX Unplugged 2024

• PAX Unplugged 2024

• PAX Unplugged 2024

• Rym - when the solo is so good the band forgets to finish
• Scott - IMG_0001

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss fragrances. You may recall in 2013 we covered the opposite side of the smell spectrum. In the news, GeekNights officially endorses Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for President and Vice President of the United States, the world's first medieval electronic instrument has launched, and this is the kind of thing you only expect to see in movies.

• Fragrances

• Fragrances

• Rym - The World’s Fastest Bomber: The XB-70 Valkyrie
• Scott - Can You Tune A Fish?

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Four Swords, which was released in 2002 on the GBA as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Four Swords. It's basically a tech demo/proof of concept for the real game released on the Gamecube which we reviewed back in 2009. You can play it online with friends on the Switch, and you probably should. In the news, Game Informer is no more, Go AIs can be attacked via exploits, and the new trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has engaged the hype machine.

• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords

• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords

• Rym - Turkish sharpshooter Yusuf Dikeç
• Scott - Chicken Pod #1

Tonight on GeekNights, we review the 2023 French animated neo-noir science fiction film Mars Express. Just watch it. It's Robocop Bladerunner 2001 Terminator 2 Total Recall Ghost in the Shell Murderbot (and more). In the news, The Time Masters is getting a theatrical 4k remastered release, the creator of Centaurworld is making a musical feature, and Ranma 1/2 is getting a redo.

• Mars Express

• Mars Express

• Rym - DITCHING SCHOOL
• Scott - The VOTOMS Hub

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about the insidious and underestimated problem of noise pollution. We've previously talked about computer noise specifically. In the news, GeekNights endorses whoever the Democratic candidate for President is in the 2024 election, the Russian government plotted assassinations in Europe, red light cameras remain controversial, and the Jersey Shore played itself.

• Noise Pollution

• Noise Pollution

• Rym - What's that pipe for?
• Scott - TASER Chess

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the games one can play at the beach. We've previously talked about the beach, and also Yard Games, so now we bring an intersection of the two. Also Beach Soccer and Terraforming Mars. In the news, the Nintendo Direct had some good stuff (especially the long awaited Metroid Prime 4) and you don't need an Xbox to play Xbox games.

• Beach Games

• Beach Games

• Rym - High Power Rocketry FAIL COMPILATION
• Scott - Ken Griffey Jr. Presents MLB by Peanut Butter the Dog

Tonight on GeekNights, we review the anime version of Ōoku: The Inner Chambers from 2023. In the news, the Lupin III Kabuki Stage Play streams live with English subtitles on August 11 and Dandadan is opening in theaters on September 13th.

• Ōoku: The Inner Chambers (2023 Anime)

• Ōoku: The Inner Chambers (2023 Anime)

• Rym - When you steal an Arab's car
• Scott - Super Mario Maker 2 - If You Jump 4 Times You Die

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the sad state of the technology creeping into car dashboards. In the news, the US Supreme Court has disastrously ruled that the president is above the law in extreme and shocking complicity with authoritarian takeover. In other news, some good Python development practices and Apple cramming AI into their largely failed Vision Pro.

• Car Dashboard Tech

• Car Dashboard Tech

• Rym - Small BIRDS 8K ULTRA HD with Names and Sounds
• Scott - Can You Make It Bigger?

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the concept of bosses in videogames. In the news, the Panthers win the Stanley Cup in the longest season in NHL history, Connor McDavid is awarded the Conn Smythe trophy but doesn't come out to claim it, and Founders of Reyvick might someday come.

• Bosses (in videogames)

• Bosses (in videogames)

• Rym - Perception check but the Dark Urge is a ✨BARD✨
• Scott - FOOTSIES TRILEMMA

Tonight on GeekNights, it's a Tech News Roundup! Mouse movers are getting people fired but are also a sign of late stage capitalism, social media is messing up the kids, don't operate your i9 at turbo voltages when it's overheating, Adobe is mostly wrong here but also read what you buy, this is a good car that will never reach the US, data breaches are getting worse as people care less and less that they happen, Wine patches bug 7955 after 17 years, the Pentax 17 is bad, Apple cancels Apple Pay Later, New York gets digital IDs (sort of), Microsoft slow rolls Recall after backlash, and Voyager 1 still lives!

• Tech News Roundup Summer 2024

• Tech News Roundup Summer 2024

• Rym - ZEUS, POSEIDON & HADES
• Scott - TerminalTextEffects

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Animal Well. It's a beautiful and well made metroidvania. In the news, Civilization 7 is coming and Blades in the Dark is fantastic from session zero to terminal endgame.

• Animal Well (2024)

• Animal Well (2024)

• Rym - Don't touch AM transmitter towers
• Scott - Project Random

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider blogging. In the news, Roblox is making a closed ecosystem Discord competitor, the US gave Intel a pile of money, and Intel's CEO hit the bricks. Rym has also consolidated all of his social media into rym.social and talks about how he set up cross-posting across microblog, Mastodon, and Bluesky.

• Blogs

• Blogs

• Blogs

• Rym - Staring at Rupees for 17 hours
• Scott - The Network of Time

Tonight on GeekNights, we make some technology predictions for one, five, and ten years into the future. We did this once back in 2010. In the news, Ticketmaster and Santander have massive data breaches, Google accidentally published its secret search sauce, Twitter adds pornography, and Rubin is the next generation AI chip.

• Tech Predictions for 2025, 2029, and 2034

• Tech Predictions for 2025, 2029, and 2034

• Rym - Balance (1989)
• Scott - The Panzerbike

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss markup languages like Markdown. In the news, Rym posted an analysis of strange noises in Sportsnet NHL streams, the ship that broke Baltimore Harbor has been removed, you can read a paper exploring The consequences of generative AI for online knowledge communities, and there are new iPads.

• Markup Languages

• Markup Languages

• Rym - Come stay in a $40 2/10 hotel with me for an evening.
• Scott - Non-Euclidean Doom:

Tonight on GeekNights, in light of one of many Helldivers 2 kerfuffles, we consider yet another way that late capitalism is ruining the games industry: the stores make more money than the games. In the news, a Roblox game's attempt to fix its in-game economy causes a bunch of gamers to lose their minds, Sportsnet streams have freaky noises, and Animal Well is good.

• Don't Make a Game, Make a Store

• Don't Make a Game, Make a Store

• Rym - 3 Brilliant Moments of Blocking
• Scott - Very Good

Tonight on GeekNights we talk about when technology fails. Dead PSUs, dead hard drives, and the like. In the news, there is a vulnerability in practically all VPNs and Tesla is firing everybody after they fired a bunch of people.

• Technology Failures

• Technology Failures

• Rym - Why Stomping Wigglers Glitches Super Mario World
• Scott - The Unique Urination of Cicadas

Tonight on the GeekNights Book Club, we discuss The Night is Short, Walk on Girl by Tomihiko Morimi. You may recall its anime adaptation we previously reviewed on GeekNights.

It's sort of a surreal and mystical romantic comedy. A college student heads out into the night and encounters various people and wild surreal happenings. Another student who has a crush on her has decided to confess that night, and ends up along for a wild ride. If you had a certain kind of university experience it is very true to that experience.

• Book Club: The Night is Short, Walk on Girl

• Book Club: The Night is Short, Walk on Girl

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Obelus. A re-implementation of Dark Spires designed by Chris A. Williams, it's a quick abstract two-player game that's worth having in your bag. In the news, The Magic Commander Format, recently embroiled in capitalist drama, is getting a digital version, and the itch.io Creator Day sale is this Friday!

• Obelus (2024)

• Obelus (2024)

• Obelus (2024)

• Rym - DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO 10, 11, 12, & 13
• Scott - Tony Hawk wanted to track down a mysterious skateboarder from 1979

Tonight on GeekNights, we review the remake of Ranma 1/2. It's a solid remake of the classic anime based on the classic manga by Rumiko Takahashi. In the news, stay strong as the fascists take control of the US government, and Sony is trying to buy Kadokawa.

• Ranma 1/2 (2024)

• Ranma 1/2 (2024)

• Rym - The Ghosts of Misery Mire
• Scott - curl -v https://google.com

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the humble tradition of carving pumpkins. You may recall in 2006 when we reviewed Pumpkin Scissors or our review of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, but we have never dedicated an entire episode to the carving of pumpkins.

In the news, tonight is the 19th anniversary of GeekNights. (The brave can listen to the remastered pre-launch beta episodes (with commentary)). Also jaywalking is no longer illegal in New York.

• Pumpkin Carving

• Pumpkin Carving

• Rym - Megilat Ḥam-Ed — the Scroll of the Steamed Portions of Cham
• Scott - What is the first American graphic novel?

Tonight on GeekNights, we review the Terminator Zero anime. It's a worthy Terminator entry, though we'd suggest watching Terminator and Terminator 2 (and nothing else) before watching it. Eight episodes on Netflix and produced by Production IG, Skydance, and Netflix. In the news, John Wick is getting a prequel anime, and Animation Speak Easy is this Friday in Brooklyn.

Be sure to make a plan to vote for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. Don't be a sucker.

• Terminator Zero (2024)

• Terminator Zero (2024)

• Rym - he single worst seat at Guaranteed Rate Field
• Scott - Protecting a Dust Jacket

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about widgets. Mostly status and telemetry widgets that people like to put on their desktops or their phones. They have their uses, but are usually useless. In the news, Cloudplane is shutting down in December, Adobe's Project Turntable is stunning, and Tesla's robots were (obviously) fake.

If you are able to vote in the United States, make a plan to vote. You can't sit this one out. You can't vote for a "third party." It's frankly unethical to do anything but vote straight ticket for Democrats.

There are two power-seeking coalitions in America. Choose the one that you want setting the rules for the next election. The Democrats are the literal best option we have. Do the right thing.

• Widgets

• Widgets

• Rym - An undulating thrill
• Scott - Asian Hockey Card Collection

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the concept of debt. In the news, the FTC makes a move against dark patterns in subscriptions and North Korea blows up its connection to South Korea and decrees that unification is no longer possible.

• Debt

• Debt

• Rym - Wireless Non-Electrical Remote
• Scott - The woman who revolutionized the fantasy genre

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about Terminals. From the VT100 to any modern Terminal Emulator, they are still a part of the computing world and are worth knowing about. In the news, Jimmy Carter has died at 100, Chinese state-sponsored hackers attacked the US Treasury, and a hero has defeated a fake Nintendo lawyer.

• Terminals

• Terminals

• Terminals

• Rym - Line
• Scott - Natural Number Game

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about fear. Rym was on a panel about fear at PAX South back in 2016, plus a video essay. In the news, it turns out Santa Claus is a myroblyte, ChatGPT went down, Russia shot down another commercial airliner, and Finland seized a Russian sabotage tanker.

• Fear

• Fear

• Fear

• Rym - Caga Tió de Nadal
• Scott - What Happened to the World's Largest Tube TV?

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss capacity management. It's changed a lot over the years. In the news, evil people are trying to accelerate climate change, and a silly camera is coming.

• Capacity Management

• Capacity Management

• Capacity Management

• Rym - Lemmings: How DMA Design Redefined Puzzle Games
• Scott - What's the Longest Trip You Can Make With a MetroCard?

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the painting of minis, from Ral Partha to Ralidium. In the news, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) will likely (and justifiably) strike, here's a starting point if you are interested in the dynamics of a broader anti-fascist General Strike, and the Twitter AI is obsessed with defending South African white supremacists.

• Painting Miniatures

• Painting Miniatures

• Painting Miniatures

• Rym - The Violent World of Football Ultras
• Scott - KUNG FURY 2 FILTRADO!

Tonight on GeekNights, we review the Sakamoto Days anime. It starts with a strong premise, but in the end it's just a shounen fighting show. In the news, Flow wins Latvia's first Oscar, The Day The Earth Blew Up actually looks pretty good, you can see Princess Mononoke restored in theaters, and Common Side Effects is real good.

• Sakamoto Days

• Sakamoto Days

• Sakamoto Days

• Rym - You must hide
• Scott - Vietnamese Graphic Design

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about MIDI. The Musical Instrument Digital Interface, which is still in use today. In the news, Donkey Kong ‘94 is re-released on Switch, Youtube adds translated dubbing, and Ontario (rightly) taxes Americans using their energy.

• MIDI

• MIDI

• MIDI

• Water your yard FOR FREE !!!
• Rym - Sound Blaster AWE32 2MB (MIDI bank)
• Scott - Heated Driveway in Buffalo

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider Windows 11 and the fools who refuse to upgrade. In the news, the iPhone 16e arrives, Gmail is (correctly) dropping SMS two-factor, Twitch is capping uploads for 0.5% of streamers, and Germany represents a profound realignment of global politics.

• Windows 11

• Windows 11

• Windows 11

• Rym - SS United States — finally — departs South Philly
• Scott - Dragonsweeper

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the concept of retirement. I know what my plan is. In the news, James Bond is captured by an evil megacorporation, and supplements will destroy your liver.

• Retirement

• Retirement

• Retirement

• Rym - Tom's Diner (Cover)
• Scott - The 88x31 GIF Collection

Tonight on GeekNights we review Shogun, released as part of the Milton Bradley Gamemaster series that we reviewed back in 2006. Renamed to Samurai Swords and then to Ikusa, we revisited it with pro tabletop players this past weekend. We're a lot wiser about game mechanics and game design here in 2025, and this game holds up surprisingly well except for a few notable flaws.

We're also trying an experiment. Rym is writing new rules in an attempt to refurbish this old game. Comments appreciated!

In the news, the Four Nations Face-Off has been lit, the Nintendo Switch 2 is coming, Nintendo is dropping their coupon pricing, we're playing the newly released Civilization VII to prepare a grand review, Magic: The Gathering announces Final Fantasy commander decks, and NetEase fired the people who made the hit game Marvel Rivals..

• Shogun (1986)

• Shogun (1986)

• Shogun (1986)

• Rym - Someone Beat the Donkey Kong Kill Screen
• Scott - HACKED DOUBLE TRUMPET

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss electronic payments. We grew up in a world where credit cards were imprinted on carbon paper and cheques were on physical paper. In the news, the Baltics have disconnected from the Russian power grid, Football Manager 25 will be skipped, and there's one weird trick to stop Google's terrible AI summaries.

• Electronic Payments

• Electronic Payments

• Electronic Payments

• Rym - Sounds between the Crowns (2020)
• Scott - Destroying and Reprogramming the Sprite Engine of Ghosts 'n Goblins

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Ryan North's Fantastic Four (2022). It's kind of fantastic. In the news, Diamond Distributors is dead and AnimeNEXT appears to be dead.

• Fantastic Four (2022)

• Fantastic Four (2022)

• Fantastic Four (2022)

• Rym - The Union Pacific Big Boy
• Scott - Landing the Nostromo

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider all the ways to sell software. From shareware to software-as-a-service to "just buying it" it's evolved quite a bit over the years. In the news, CES happened, Republicans killed net neutrality, and Pornhub is blocked in the entire US south. Also we will be live at MAGFest, which is imminently about to sell out.

• Ways to Sell Software

• Ways to Sell Software

• Ways to Sell Software

• Rym - Rondò Veneziano - La Serenissima
• Scott - Blade Runner-Electric Unicorn fan release- deleted scenes

Tonight on GeekNights we review Moorland (2023). We played it twice at PAX Unplugged and it's a solid game with two novel mechanics. In the news, New York's congestion relief pricing is already fantastic, Valve makes insane money per employee, and two Gundam tabletop games are coming.

• Moorland (2023)

• Moorland (2023)

• Moorland (2023)

• Rym - Temperate Lake Dashboard Simulator
• Scott - Obsolete Sony

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Quacks, previously released as The Quacks of Quedlinburg in 2018. It's a push your luck game that is fun, but just short of greatness. (That's rare praise from GeekNights). In the news, Greater Than Games is forced to reduce staff in light America's ridiculous tariff war, and tabletop companies are suing our president over America's ridiculous tariff war.

• Quacks (of Quedlinburg)

• Quacks (of Quedlinburg)

• Quacks (of Quedlinburg)

• Rym - The Horn of Geddon
• Scott - CYBRLICH and the Death Cult of Labor

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about surgery. Warning: we talk about surgery. In the news, capitalism has destroyed Polygon and a federal judge has permanently blocked the Trump administration from deporting people to concentration camps using the archaic Alien Enemies Act of 1798, setting up an existential supreme court showdown.

• Surgery

• Surgery

• Surgery

• Rym - Stealing Power !!
• Scott - Joon Lee