Computer hardware has increased in price by 300% recently. We talk about why it happened and why it won't improve any time soon.

Wombats poo cubes. There's a good reason for that.

Boston Dynamics have announced their new robot model. Behind the CGI, what can it do?

Indian TV is going to be bigger than China's soon. DJ has some thoughts about that.

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We enjoyed a nice drink of Rez which you can get a 10% discount when you type NERDS at the checkout from the Rez website at www.drinkrez...

We're joined by Mr Rant from Lights, Camera Rant for our review of the year that was.

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We enjoyed a nice drink of Rez which you can get a 10% discount when you type NERDS at the checkout from the Rez website at www.drinkrez.com

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Resources Mentioned

Lights Camera Rant (weekly pop culture fix, where I dish out reviews of movies, TV...

Warhammer is the biggest tabletop war game around. How did they get to the top?

Viruses suck. But they can also be modified to collect rare earth elements from mines.

Netflix has purchased Warner Bros, giving them the largest share of the streaming market. This can only be good for consumers, right?

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We enjoyed a nice drink of Rez which you can get a 10% discount when you type NERDS at the checkout from the Rez website at www.drinkrez.com

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Resources Mentioned

A new study found that subconciously perceiving Batman on a train makes people more likely to give up their seat to a pregnant woman. Is it because he's going to break your back?

Sega has been publishing definitive editions of games they've released. Could that actually be harming sales of their games?

Death games have been around for thousands of years, but Quintin Tarantino has gotten his knickers in a knot over Hunger Games ripping off Battle Royale.

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We enjoyed a nice drink of Rez which you can get a 10% discount...

Valve have finally announced the new Steam hardware, including the Steam Frame, Steam Machine and the Steam Controller 2. We're hyped.

My Hero Academia is getting a live action adaptation. Live action ALL THE THINGS, while at the same time, anime ALL THE OTHER THINGS. Surely one of the two will work.

The Universe is decelerating, according to a new study. That means we're a few billion years closer to the end of the universe than we thought. Don't Panic.

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We enjoyed a nice drink of Rez which you can get a 10...

A recent survey found that Steam is considered a monopoly by developers. What are the implications?

Anime has a long history of adult content. Now it's going mainstream and the world isn't ready.

These are the kinds of science experiments vampires might think of. They're intended to last longer than a human lifetime, and they're the only way to study some things.

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We enjoyed a nice drink of Rez which you can get a 10% discount when you type NERDS at the checkout from the Rez website at www.drinkrez.com 

Live Service games with an ongoing story have to end sometime, right? Destiny 2 did, and suddenly nobody wants to play anymore. Does this mean future games will drag on forever? Hopefully not.

The BBC and Disney have officially split, meaning we won't get Doctor Who for over 12 months. Is it time for another charity single to save the Doctor?

Mirror life is a hypothetical form of life which is molecularly reversed compared to existing life. Scientists think this could be apocalyptic, so what are they doing to protect us?

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We enjoyed...

The Protoclone is an android based on human muscles. DJ thinks this thing might be too lifelike, and it's time to call Rick Deckard.

EA are being bought by a consortium of investment firms. Do they still have a future, or will they be killed off?

Tilly Norwood is an AI actress created for the sole purpose of starring in real movies. As any first gen tech, it'll be rubbish, but if you combined Tilly and a Protoclone body, DJ would probably be very scared.

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We enjoyed a nice drink of...

A new study tells us all the statistics about Australian gamers. Turns out we're all getting older and less social. We have some theories why.

Dance Dance Revolution can be adapted into a memory trainer for people with dementia, and it actually works to reduce the rate of decline.

A fully AI movie will be presented at Cannes soon, and we expect it to be bad.

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We enjoyed a nice drink of Rez which you can get a 10% discount when you type NERDS at the checkout from the Rez website at...

Things get wild when Professor and DJ talk about stopping children from accessing in appropriate games.

Warner Bros are suing Midjourney for ripping off their art. With the recent case against OpenAI for pirating books, the precedent might not be on their side.

Science is hard to do objectively. There's always a bias, and good scientists find ways to minimise that. The Nerds talk through creating science to push a narrative, and why that's a bad thing.

***

We enjoyed a nice drink of Rez which you can get a 10% discount when...

Mojang are being sued for breaking the laws of the European Union by changing their terms of service to ban gun mods. Spearheaded by a mod developer, this lawsuit is adjacent to Stop Killing Games but not quite part of it.

Google has announced a plan to block indie developers from publishing apps for Android without giving away their personal details. Professor is mad as hell and he's not going to take it anymore, and is seriously considering switching to a Linux phone.

Child stars and social media sounds like a bad time. Stars with...

This week we interviewed Isaac Fox, creator of popular comics like SuccuBUSTED and Cremisi about his new project, The Manti-Corps.

We enjoyed a nice drink of rez which you can get a 10% discount when you type NERDS at the checkout from the Rez website at www.drinkrez.com  

Astral Tickets Comics

Website - https://www.foxxycomics.com/ 

Youtube - Astral Ticket Comics - YouTube

Facebook - ATFoxxyComics

Instagram - Izumi Fox (@atfoxxycomics) • Instagram photos and videos

X - https://x.com...

This week we interviewed Savas Savidis about his game Tales of Grimace and what it takes to be a an indie game developer in high school.

We enjoyed a nice drink of rez which you can get a 10% discount when you type NERDS at the checkout from the Rez website at www.drinkrez.com  

Tales of Grimace The Game

Website - https://www.talesofgrimace.com/

Steam Page - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2223310/Tales_of_Grimace/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/people/Tales-of-Grimace-Video-Game/61563844233175/

Tw...

The famous modder behind the Special K mod has deleted their steam account and written a manifesto about why Steam is evil. We disagree.

The resurrected Direwolves are doing well, and Peter Jackson is promising to bring back the Moa next. Let's just skip straight to the dinosaurs.

Movies used to be based on comics. But now movies are bigger than comics, and people think comics are worse for it.

We enjoyed a nice drink of rez which you can get a 10% discount when you type NERDS at the checkout...

Stop Killing Games has reached 1 million signatures on the European Citizens Initiative. But the battle isn't won yet. Due to invalid signatures, the petition could use as many extra signatures as it can get.

Microsoft have laid off 9000 people from their gaming division, while also planning for a third party Xbox handheld. Could this be the end of the Xbox hardware?

Killer Whales are not whales, but they are indeed killers. They also want to have lunch with you. All around the world, killer whales have been bringing fresh seafood to humans.

Stop Killing Games has nearly reached its conclusion, unless hundreds of thousands of European gamers come out of the woodwork. Aaaand here they come.

You will soon be able to buy lab grown meat in Australia. Will you eat it?

Duke Nukem is coming to TV. Maybe this icon of the 90s should have been left there though.

We enjoyed a nice drink of rez which you can get a 10% discount when you type NERDS at the checkout from the Rez website at www.drinkrez.com 

Stop K...

This week we're interviewing Neural Forge, creator of the board game Nimbus.

Neural Forge official website

– Neural Forge 

Neural Froge Etsy Store 

– NeuralForge - Etsy Australia 

Neural Forge Facebook page

– Neural Forge 

Neural Forge Instagram

– Neural Forge (@neural_forge) • Instagram photos and videos 

Neural Forge Nimbus Kickstarter 

– Nimbus by Neural Forge — Kickstarter 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-4d6ovrzeZNYDK5ijlDwTPkji3B4iX3rNQypRL29Xes/edit?usp=sharing

Fo...

The Switch 2 is not without controversy. The big issues center around hardware ownership. So why are Nintendo getting this wrong?

Happiness is tricky to pin down, but the latest research gives some hints on how to get there.

Years ago, Captain America was revealed to be a Hydra agent. This led to no end of problems for the writers, mostly caused by the fans. Let's hope their next big plot twist goes better.

Nintendo Switch 2 early bricked

- Nintendo Switch 2 is already in some users’ hands, but a ma...

Crunchyroll have published a report on anime revealing that a majority of people under 50 watch it. Yet the company still wants growth. What are the implications?

Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take Two has some thoughts on the games industry, and they're... interesting. Is he completely out of touch, or is it the kids who are wrong?

A supervolcano might wipe all of us out. The good news is scientists are discovering ways to defuse it before it happens. Let's hope they manage to save us all.

Crunchy roll report on...

Wow 250 episodes and we are still going…what an achievement...We would like to thank each and every one of you for being part of this magical journey

Finally, Valve are releasing SteamOS onto third party devices. Is this finally the year of the Linux gaming PC?

The Large Hadron Collider has turned lead into gold through shooting two lead atoms at each other and missing.

Europe has achieved a victory over generative AI dubbing through unions and laws. Yay.

We enjoyed a nice dr...

There's a variety of reasons consoles are getting more expensive instead of cheaper, and they aren't all because of greed. Chips just aren't improving like they used to.

Marvel has a new strategy. Will they finally start making good content?

A new technique from MIT allows scientists to photograph atoms with a microscope. Finally, we can see what they're up to.

Why are consoles getting expensive

- Chips aren’t improving like they used to, and it’s killing game console price cuts - Ars Technica 

Mar...

A new analysis indicates that subscription gaming has no room to grow. Of course, that won't stop them trying to take away our game ownership.

Humans have been using fire for hundreds of thousand of years. But during the Ice Age, there's a gap in the evidence. What were humans doing with fire during that time?

Netflix's CEO claims that Netflix is saving the movie industry. Of course he would say that. What's the truth?

Subscription gaming and its failures

- Subscription spending has been flat since 2021, analyst...

At last, the Oscars have added a rule that voters have to watch the movie. Somehow, people are complaining about doing their job.

Ubisoft are being threatened with a complaint about their data collection. The GDPR hammer is raised and ready.

Scientists want to grow astronaut food from scratch using bioreactors. This totally won't make a giant meat blob that consumes the Earth.

We're supported by Rez, which you can get from the REZ website at www.drinkrez.com and with a 15% discount using the code w...

We enjoyed a nice drink of rez which you can get from the Rez website at www.drinkrez.com and with a 15% discount using the code word : NERDS15

DJ went wild and mixed a sachet of REZ with a bottle of coke, while the professor went with the traditional approach of mixing a sachet with water....how did it pan out? Find out....

Gacha games have seen rising popularity in the past few years, but with that comes a new wave of concern. This time it isn't over your anime waifu, but the r...

Ubisoft has responded to a lawsuit against them as part of the Stop Killing Games campaign. This setback doesn't mean the end for the campaign. They'll keep fighting.

A Minecraft Movie is a surprising hit. But it comes with some interesting implications for the future. And please don't throw your popcorn.

Dire Wolves are back. But they're not really. Colossal Biosciences claims to have created dire wolves, but what they claim isn't entirely possible, which is sad news for Jurassic Park fans.

We're supported by Rez. Get 15% off with code “NE...

From computer mice to increased prices for games, we'll tell you everything worth knowing about the Nintendo Switch 2 and why you probably don't want to buy it.

Tariffs aren't just affecting video games, but they're also coming to Hollywood and could push out the smaller studios.

A new brain to speech implant greatly improves the speed at which a human-computer interface can translate thoughts into words. Next step on the full dive VR checklist is to put thoughts back into the brain.

We're supported by Rez. Get 15% off with code “NE...

SAG-AFTRA warn you not to believe the major games companies who claim that they're close to a deal. Instead, the union is refusing to back down without getting all the concessions they want for their members.

Anime is facing a staff shortage. This could mean lowering quality or reducing season length. Hopefully it means removing filler.

Light sails might be the best way to get to Alpha Centauri within a human lifetime. But we won't be sending humans just yet.

We're supported by Rez. Get 15% off with...

The anime industry is expecting some major growth, with the surprise entry of Chinese anime.

Masahiro Sakurai of Super Smash Brothers thinks Japanese games should be made for Japanese gamers. How could he say something so controversial and so brave?

Life in space takes a toll on your body. Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have returned to Earth, but that's not the end of the story.

We're supported by Rez. Get 15% off with code “NERDS15” at www.drinkrez.com 

Here comes the Anime Boom

- With...

Warner Bros and DC are in a bit of a sticky situation. They're failing to make money, and if their new Superman movie flops it could be the end for them.

Trump's tariffs are going to have a major effect on the physical game market in the US. Of course, publishers want this to happen.

At least twice in the Earth's history, a supernova has almost ended life as we know it. Good news though, it probably won't happen a third time.

We're supported by Rez. Get 15% off with code “NE...

Should celebrities watch what they say? The latest controversy has come out after Emilia Perez was torpedoed by a castmember's comments. And why not hold them to the same standards most of us are?

Urban Dead, one of the longest running zombie MMOs, is being shut down due to the new Online Safety Act in the UK. While it's sad to see something with such a cult following go, you can't run a product like that without the right loicence mate.

The first computer made with human brain neurons has been created. Let's...

Balatro has been rerated after an appeal to PEGI. Now teenagers can legally play it.

Amazon now has full control over James Bond. They promise there won't be any TV shows, but it remains to be seen what they'll do with the narrative problems the last movie left them.

A company plans to release genetically modified mosquitos in Australia to control the spread of dengue fever. This can't go wrong at all. We don't have many movies telling us why we shouldn't do this at all.

We're supported by Rez...

This week we interviewed Isaac Fox of Astral Ticket Comics.

Astral Tickets Comics

Website - https://www.foxxycomics.com/ 

Youtube - Astral Ticket Comics - YouTube

Facebook - ATFoxxyComics

Instagram - Izumi Fox (@atfoxxycomics) • Instagram photos and videos

X - https://x.com/ATFoxxyComics/ 

Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/1784220658/ 

Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/brooke-astral.bsky.social 

Astral Tickets Recent Kickstarter : Pure Intent finale + Mistress Izumi's ADULT Lessons #3 by Astral Ticket Comics — Kickstarter 

Full Sh...

The US Copyright Office has decided that at this time, generative AI doesn't deserve copyright.

We've got a small chance of a massive asteroid hitting Earth in 2032. The good news is NASA already has an astronaut who was a driller.

There's been a disappointing update to the Stop Killing Games campaign with the UK rejecting changes to the law.

This episode supported by Rez www.DrinkRez.com

US Copyright Office Declares Generative AI Can’t Be Protected By Copyright

- US Copyright Office Declares Generative AI...

CGC Cards has been accused of selling fake Pokemon alpha playtest cards signed by Takumi Akabane. Who is behind this devious act, and what are the implications for TCG collectors?

Trump's tariffs on Canada could cause the price of comics to jump by 25%. Will this push independent comics out of business or create a new opportunity?

In the next few years, Mastercard wants to get rid of the numbers on your credit card in the name of improved security. Therer's a few issues with this though.

Counterfeit Pokemon Cards

Nintendo says emulation is legal, but what does that mean? Are they being hypocrites for going after Yuzu?

Trump has announced Project Stargate to advance AI for the US government. What could they want with images of people with too many fingers?

Anime studios in Japan have started using AI as a tweening tool to speed up production. What does this mean for the animators?

The UK Ministry of Defence has brought in Sci-Fi writers to find out what dangers the future holds.

Cost of gaming update<...

AAA games are getting so expensive to make that companies have started marketing them as AAAA games. Despite this, games haven't really increased in price. But who's responsible for spending so much money?

You can retrain your tastebuds to like a food that you hate. Will this finally end the war over pineapple on pizza?

Harrison Ford wasn't always the first choice to play Deckard in Blade Runner. Initially financiers had no idea who he was, and wanted someone else despite his roles in other unknown films like Star Wars and Indiana Jones.<...

The rumours are flying that Half Life 3 might be close to done. We're trying not to get too hyped just in case, but this might actually be happening this time.

Alan Moore spoke about his new novel, The Great When from The Long London Quintet. Lots of parallel universe shenanigans seem to be heading our way.

2025 has some great astronomy opportunities coming up in Australia, from the possibility of more auroras, some great meteor showers and the temporary disappearance of Saturn's rings.

Half Life 3 news

- Why Half-Life 3...

It's the end of the year, so welcome to our Year in Review episode. We discuss our favourite things of the year from games to movies and science.

We hope you have a happy New Year and we'll see you next year for more nerdy shenanigans.

2024 in video games

– 2024 in video games - Wikipedia 

2024 in film

– 2024 in film - Wikipedia 

2024 in Science & Technology

– 2024 in science - Wikipedia 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g1w1Tdyexpox_2cz-dx8WKS...

Your kids might be gambling in underground Roblox casinos. Or you might be gaming in underground CSGO casinos. Either way, there's been a proliferation of underground gaming casinos gambling in game assets for real world money. The latest investigation shows found children who have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Robux. Scary stuff.

In what is certainly not just a way to get on the hype train, 50 Cent and others have announced they are working on documentaries about Luigi Mangione. We discuss whether this could cause copycat killings and might not be such a...

There's a big potential for the untapped Indian games industry. Why hasn't it taken off yet? Is 2025 finally the year of the Indian games industry?

Former Bond girl Gemma Arterton thinks James Bond can't be genderbent. Someone out there will probably take that as a challenge.

A group of scientists working with school students have identified a cytotoxic chemical found in goose feces. Really. It'll take a lot of work to convince people to rub it on their cancer though.

Gaming potential in India

- Why gaming is...

This week, things get heated when Professor and DJ talk about the reasons AAA games have to play it safe and take no risks.

Disney is remaking Snow White and it looks AWFUL. They really should stop doing this, but they won't as long as people keep watching them.

There's been a lot of news about birdflu lately. So why hasn't it become a pandemic?

Playing it safe Triple A style

- Borderlands 3 and The Elder Scrolls Online director says AAA game studios are playing it safe since "...

We are have a new Nerd on the Block : Shane from ComX

Once an international brand, GAME is on the verge of shutting down. They've adapted to the changing market by not selling games anymore. We're not sure there's a way to survive as a physical games retailer with the domination of online marketplaces, but they're trying.

Hate might be a strong word but Denis Villeneuve really doesn't like Star Wars anymore. And his hatred goes a long way back. Still, Dune is the better movie so he has a point.

Disco Elysium is a famous game for very good reasons. But when it comes to creating a sequel, there are now five companies all claiming to be working on a spiritual successor, all with part of the original team. And they're all suing each other. Get your popcorn.

Ben Affleck (Batman) and Hirohiko Araki (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) have both come forwards to complain about AI. The future of their industries is at risk, after all, so they have some personal stake in the matter.

Rats enjoy driving cars. When given the option to...

Reuploaded due to Spotify sync issues

Australia's proposed social media ban is very broad and will likely affect gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite. We discuss the impact on the gaming industry if this comes into effect.

Disney announced new Star Wars movies, then almost immediately cancelled one of them. What are they doing? Does anyone there have any idea what to do? Probably not.

Track your farts for science. Really. CSIRO have launched a citizen science initiative to track how often and how badly you fart to investigate gut health...

This week we went to Supanova 100. We'll discuss our favorite panels, some great sights and of course the best cosplays.

Brisbane Supanova 2024

– Event Home - Supanova Comic Con & Gaming

 Shane Syddall from Comics Network Australia (ComX)

– Comics Network Australia

– Shane Syddall | Comics Network Australia  

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tdeHIlAmUYvngQu4K5j3NJBvACToANCafjd7H0bV0DI/edit?usp=sharing

Follow us on

Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/

Twitter - https://twitter.c...

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 has a new pay to win audio tier using customised Head Related Transfer Functions. Cool tech, but what isn't cool is allowing some players who can afford a subscription to have a gameplay advantage.

Netflix are saving the Anime industry by... *checks notes* paying the animators a fair wage. This utterly insane idea will hopefully lead the industry in a better direction, away from child labour and exploitative practices.

Aureispira bacteria have been witnessed using grappling hooks and cannons to hunt unsuspecting prey. This pirates of the microscopic...

A minor actor has had his identity used to create Venezuelan propaganda. He's not too happy about that, and hopes the unions will be able to prevent this in the future.

Playstation have spent ten years suing a company for making hacks for their games, and they just lost. While this might lead to a proliferation of cheaters, we're more excited about the legal protection for modding.

The Tasmanian Tiger has been extinct for less than a hundred years, and an American company reckon they can bring it back to life. DJ is...

The Nobel Prizes for 2024 have been awarded. AI. AI everywhere...

A study has attempted to estimate the actual cost of game piracy for developers who use Denuvo DRM. Is it really worth using on games?

Hollywood has changed a lot in the last few decades with the rise of streaming. Some insiders have concerns about its ability to adapt.

Nobel Prize 2024 Winners

- Nobel Prize 2024: All the Winners | TIME 

Game Piracy and its costs

- The true cost of game piracy: 20 percent of r...

EA have announced that they aren't working on The Sims 5 after a decade. Instead, they're farming out future content releases to the fans. Is this a sign of EA's laziness or is it the right move?

Toxic fans ruin everything. Fortunately, studios are developing techniques for protecting actors and fans from their actions.

A recently discovered bacteria eats plastic. Yay. Also not yay. Can it cause a grey goo scenario? We hope not.

The future of The Sims

-- EA turns to the fans to keep The Sims...

Steam has once again broken their record for most concurrent users online. So where are all these new users coming from? What do they want? What does this mean for the future of Steam?

OpenAI is being sued for copyright infringement. If they lose it could mean the end of the existing LLM AI hype.

For the next few months Earth will have a new moon too small to see with the naked eye. Well maybe you can see it if you squint a bit.

Newly released steam player counts<...

Australia has now brought in an R18 rating for games featuring gambling. We discuss the merits behind this change and whether it will really protect the children from gambling addictions.

Lionsgate have decided to use AI to create AI generated "augmentations" to their films. We go deep on deep fakes, and appropriate usage of AI.

New research explains how sleep resets your brain and prepares it for learning more the next day. So learn how science might help you reach your full potential by sleeping more.

New changes to Australian...

A New Nerd Approaches and his name is Phoenix

If you own the game Oxenfree through Itch.io, you're about to lose access to it. The Netflix owned games studio is pulling the game from storefronts and libraries, leaving nothing in its wake. This time, even if you own it, you won't be able to download it. This should be completely unacceptable, so how do we fight back?

Disney didn't have the rights to use Peter Cushing's likeness in Rogue One, and they're being sued about it. We discuss IP law and the...

Suda51 and Shinji Mikami got together to talk about Japan's CERO system of games classification. They've raised some excellent points about the inconsistencies in the system.

Humans don't like the heat much. New research shows that the fatal limit for temperature and humidity might be much lower than expected.

Jenna Ortega thinks more women led franchises should be original IPs, not gender flipped traditionally male roles. This take is certainly not controversial and won't lead to heated arguments in comment sections around the internet.

Pushback against Japanese Censorship in games<...

Epic Games Store's long running free games program seems to be paying off for their user acquisition strategy, despite their low sales of exclusives. They still can't hold a candle to Steam though.

The Marshmallow test is supposed to determine a child's future. The latest studies actually debunk it, and prove that you really aren't limited. At least not that way.

The US FTC has finally banned fake reviews. YAY. We'll see how they enforce it but hopefully this leads to a major reduction in fraud.

Epic games free giveaway  Duration: 01:13:06

Roblox is now banned in another country for child exploitation. These are serious allegations, so we're lucky serious journalists have investigated and uncovered the reasons why Roblox isn't great for kids. We discuss the issues and whether Australia should follow suit.

Mathematicians have worked out the optimum swimming stroke, and are training swimmers to perform it at the Olympics. We also discuss the just past Paris Olympics and some of the standout memes from the event.

Disney have announced everything they're working on, and it's a field as empty of originality as the...

The CEO of Warframe developer Digital Extremes has explained why he thinks there hasn't been another Live Service hit like Warframe.

Jim Shooter, a former Marvel head, has some thoughts on modern comics - There isn't enough dialogue apparently.

Sharks in Brazil have gotten their fins on large amounts of cocaine from drug smugglers. Everything humans do affects the environment, including dumping contraband in the ocean.

Is Live Service game an actual good model

- Big publishers ‘eject too soon’ from live service titles, says Warframe boss | VGC 

Viggo Mortensen hasn't been seen in any big franchises since Lord of the Rings. He's got a very good reason for that, and he isn't likely to go back. At least he's willing to tell us why.

We've seen a lot of great indie games in the last few years, but it's starting to look like the bubble might be popping. Sooner or later it'll be back, but at what cost?

Watching yourself perform karaoke makes you blush. Scientists used this to find out why we blush and what's going on inside your...

A species of carpenter ants will perform surgery on their wounded comrades. These gory scenes take place after vicious battles with other ant colonies. This is the first time that surgery has been observed in non-human animals.

Much has been made of video game addiction, which is a real and scary thing. But not every case is medical addiction, and there might be good reasons why people are turning to games.

Crunchyroll have decided to close their comment section permanently. The exodus of commenters must go somewhere else to rant about anime.

Scientist have found that whales are happier when humans are not around, and this was during the first year of the COVID-19 Pandemic, when human activity on the ocean was limited. Which begs the question do whales really hate humans?

Eve Online's creator CCP Games have decided to go open source...will this make the game immortal? Only time will tell...

Hollywood is facing an exodus of film crew workers, is this the sign that the Hollywood cinema is coming to an end?

Whales hate humans

- University...

A classic MMO designer thinks modern MMOs aren't giving players enough ways to play together. MMOs have changed over the last 20 years, and are no longer the only way to play with your friends. So what's really behind the changes?

A new study suggests geoengineering might actually just move the issue from one place to another. Who will bear the consequences of trying to prevent global warming?

GTA has never been made into a movie. One of the Rockstar founders has come forwards to explain why.

Modern MMO….

...

Team Fortress 2 has been overrun by bots. A new campaign to save this game from the hackers and cheaters who are ruining it begs Valve to make a difference. We discuss how this relates to the Stop Killing Games campaign and the various ways Valve and the community can save the game.

By all accounts, The Crow's reboot will not be any good. Can it be saved? Who will watch it?

The Arctic Fox is on the brink of extinction, except for the diligent work of a team of fox breeders working to...

Sorry about the audio quality on this one. The people responsible have been fired out of a cannon into the sun. The problem has been fixed and we'll be back to our usual quality next week.

Should we pay modders for their work? After hundreds of hours playing modded games, and even designing some mods himself, Professor's got some thoughts on this.

The future of PCs is AI. Or is it? The Nerds disagree that Microsoft's Recall will gain any traction.

George R R Martin is ranting about how movies...

According to surveys, most gamers Smurf - that is high level players using a low level account to stomp noobs. So why do you do it, and is it as bad as it sounds?

The end of anime's Golden Age may be upon us. Miyazaki says so, but he's just won an award for anime. So is it self-deprecating humour or bragging?

The Australian government has suggested social media should be for adults only. The Nerds discuss why this won't work.

Fecal matter transplants are a seemingly...

The UK has issued a response to the Stop Killing Games campaign with a possible angle of attack. Remember to keep signing your local petitions to help make a change.

The creator of Ghost in the Shell Arise thinks Isekais are off the rails and that the real world doesn't suck that much. Has he been outside recently?

AI deepfakes are being used in a new type of scam called Pig Butchering. Keep yourselves safe.

Joycon Lawsuits 

- Two Joy-Con lawsuits against Nintendo are dismissed | GamesIndustry.biz  

Helldivers 2 players have achieved a major victory over Sony, leading to the PSN account requirement being retracted. Good work troops.

WBD are planning some more Lord of the Rings movies, starting with The Hunt for Gollum. The Nerds discuss why they've picked such an overdone part of the story to cover.

Plastic eating nanobots may be coming to a water treatment plant near you. Scientists have developed a type of nanobot that "eats" plastic and can be filtered out of the water supply.

Helldivers vs Sony Saga

The USA's TikTok ban coming into effect could affect game developers too. We'll break it down and go over the possible effects.

If you want to preserve your body for the future, you might turn to cryonics. If you can't afford a full body, you can just preserve your brain and hope someone grows you a new body in the future.

Marvel movies suck. Everyone's saying it. Even the cast and crew are saying it. Here's why.

Tiktok bans affects gaming

- The US is banning TikTok, could...

The Australian Stop Killing Games Petition is now active. Sign it here: e-petitions – Parliament of Australia

How does NASA repair a spacecraft nearly a light day from Earth? NASA engineers have spent the last few months working on a solution to a faulty RAM chip, and we'll discuss the changes they had to make to save the stricken craft.

The Entertainment Software Association are vehemently against video game libraries. This makes some sense from a copyright perspective, but absolutely none from a preservation perspective. Professor has his own strong op...

The Australian Stop Killing Games Petition is now active. Sign it here: https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN6080

Live service games seem like the future of gaming, but the tide seems to be changing. A survey of game developers says that the majority are concerned about the future of live service games and their sustainability.

Do you prefer binge watching or waiting weekly for each episode? The creator of Scott Pilgrim has very strong opinions on this, and thinks you should too.

Gamers have been named as collaborators...

Ross Scott's Campaign to save games has kicked off, and we're sharing his battle plans. This is something we can all do to help prevent games from being destroyed.

With the death of Funimation, anime is also at risk of being taken away from you. Paid products aren't showing up on CrunchyRoll's site. They claim everything will eventually be available, but this is yet another example of paid products being taken away from customers.

The US Government wants NASA to implement a time zone for the Moon in order to synchronise space equipment...

For our 200th episode, we've interviewed Corissa Grant from Worthy Chaos Comics to talk about their series Redemption, a comic about love, a war involving the ancient Egyptian and Celtic pantheons, demon hunters, and a whole lot of gore. Corissa tells us about how she got into writing comics, how she found an artist, the challenges of managing a comic business and a whole lot more.

-         https://worthychaoscomics.com/

-         https://twitter.com/Worthy_Chaos

-         https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTAL-U1I4zx45SFAUWb2OIA

-         https://www.instagram.com/worthy_chaos_comics/ <...

The Crow is one of BPM's favourite movies, as well as a Brandan Lee's final film role. There's talks about rebooting it with a new storyline and BPM, along with the original director, are not very happy about it.

Neuralink has begun human trials, beset with animal testing issues and beaten to market by over a decade. The Nerds discuss the sci-fi future Elon Musk wants, and the impact Neuralink might have on society.

Need a lawyer? Better call Pikachu. Pokemon Law is serious business, and an interview with the former chief lawyer...

Warner Bros seem to be intent on killing everything they own. The latest casualty is Adult Swim's Games library. Professor reminisces about some of his favourite games from this publisher that will no longer be available to customers.

The Oscars and Razzies happened again this week, so the Nerds discuss the impact the winners might have on the direction of movies of the future.

Stress is making you dumber. This is a Bad Thing with bad implication for the environment and the economy. Oh, and it's contagious.

WB wipes out...

This week we bring you the latest updates in the Nintendo vs Yuzu case, the first shots in the war to save games from deletion, and the push towards even more live service games.

Executives are ruining movies. We discuss the reasons and the solutions to escape executive meddling.

Finally, we put on our boomer hats to complain about how kids these days learn.

https://fxtwitter.com/PC_Focus_/status/1763601710314889356?t=xaDd6Uc3YOqdPF48O1X03A&s=19

...

Nintendo are suing a Fruit company. The Yuzu emulator is under attack. The Professor has some thoughts on how this affects the future of games preservation.

Marvel are trying to recover from a few big failures recently. The DJ ponders their future projects and what they need to do to bring the audience back.

Going outside is really, REALLY good for you. The DJ and Professor consider going into politics to build more green space.

Nintendo vs Yuzu

- https://twitter.com/stephentotilo/status/1762576284817768457

- https...

Rumours are flying about the next generation of games consoles. The Nerds discuss the future and where we might be going next, whether that's a mid generation Pro release, a full new generation, or the PC master race.

Sora AI has scared Tyler Perry away from an $800m investment. Perry thinks the future is all AI, all the time, but we think there's a possible dark future coming.

Video games help your brain. Seriously. Scientists say so, so it must be true.

The Future of games consoles

...

OpenAI's Sora has gotten Hollywood in a tizzy about robots taking their jobs. Again. Hopefully the robots don't come for us next.

You might be tempted to buy games cheaply on a key reseller, but game devs would really rather you pirate their games instead. We'll tell you why.

Scientists have grown lab grown meat on a substrate of rice. Professor thinks this will make great burritos. DJ isn't so convinced.

Open A.I Video creation

- https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/openai-introduces-ai-video-tools-encroaches-hollywood-1235826527/

- https...

With Vanguard Anticheat coming to a League of Legends near you, it's worth knowing more about how it works and why it isn't the saviour you might think it is. We discuss the history of cheating, and why Anticheat never seems to work properly.

GRRM has some things to say about toxicity and the AntiFan. The AntiFan is a creature of hatred, dedicated to tearing down creators. But why?

You probably have some bad habits that you won't admit to. But if you pick your nose you might want to think twice...

The EU has made some demands of Apple, and Apple has complied in the barest possible manner. They're still screwing devs over, and we're not happy about it.

Brains in jars have been a staple of sci-fi for decades. They're a step closer with the latest research into keeping brains functioning without a body. We're a bit worried about the implications, though.

Christopher Nolan likes BIG movies, but he feels like he can't go back to making small ones. We discuss the impacts this could have on the industry.

Apple’s...

This week, a moderately famous Youtuber made waves with a plan to sue game developers for shutting down games. Ross Scott wants to fight the You Will Own Nothing future and he's starting with The Crew. He's taking a big step to securing consumer rights and we can't wait to see how it goes.

Soon, even factory workers will be able to work from home using virtual reality and robots. iCub has developed a remote control robot that lets anyone take control of a small humanoid and explore the world. Domo arigato, Mr Roboto.

Ubisoft don't want you to feel comfortable owning games. We think we speak for all of us when we say we're already comfortable not owning Ubisoft games.

AI are coming for the translator's jobs. Is the human touch compatible with artistic integrity?

Scientists are always working on the next big thing, but sometimes it backfires. This time, the antivenom is a provenom.

Professor 

The Nerds are back! This week on Nerds Amalgamated we're joined by our friend BPM to discuss the SAG-AFTRA AI deal, the Golden Globes and using magic as medicine.

DJ – Golden Globes 2024 Recap

- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-08/golden-globes-2024-winners-list/103291446

Professor – SAG-AFTRA AI Backflip

- https://variety.com/2024/biz/news/sag-aftra-ai-voiceover-studio-video-games-1235866313/

- https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-and-replica-studios-introduce-groundbreaking-ai-voice-agreement-ces

NA – Magic is now a science

- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953623008985?via%3Dihub

...

It’s 2022. And since we’ve decided to use a recent, arbitrary date as the marker of the completion of a solar revolution, which is a specific period of time, it’s time to review everything that happened in the last 3.154e+7 seconds. We’ll cover the best and worst games, movies and science news from the last year. It wasn’t all bad, promise.

2021 in Gaming

Psychonauts 2

Wildermyth

Unpacking

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy

2021 in Media

Dune

Squid Game

Spiderma...

The 13th Doctor has been incredibly controversial. Jodie Whittaker is worried that she's ruined the idea of a female Doctor. Whose fault is it really though? Is the concept really ruined forever?

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but the doctor teams up with rotten oranges to diagnose early stage cancer.

A New Challenger Joins The Mobile Gaming Battle. Qualcomm has paired with Razor to develop a new handheld gaming dev kit. It'll run on Android and they claim it'll run anything.

The 13th Doctor - A Legacy...

NASA's DART mission has lifted off to protect humanity from rogue asteroids. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test will attempt to change the orbit of threatening asteroids by... hitting them with a rock. Hopefully that'll be enough to save Earth from future threats.

Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, wants console developers to preserve old games and avoid NFTs. Legal emulation will help bring classic games to a new audience, while Phil thinks NFTs will be exploitative. Professor agrees. HEAVILY. Is Phil once again the saviour of the console industry?

Amazon plans to expand their...

Animal kidneys. Some people like them in pies, but pig kidneys go just as well as replacements for human kidneys. A new GMO pig can provide kidneys that are completely compatible with the human immune system. This could have a big impact on transplant waiting lists, and is also a new step in transhumanism. Half Man, Half Pig, He's Pig Man.

Facebook are rebranding their parent company as a Metaverse company, and this is a bad thing. Professor really doesn't think Facebook have our best interests in mind and will try to control the Metaverse when...

You'll want to pack your umbrella for a trip to TOI-3362b, it rains molten aluminium there. We discuss alien weather, and the reason why we're very unlikely to ever take a holiday there. Surprisingly, the molten aluminium isn't the biggest barrier to visiting TOI-3362b.

Microsoft have promised to do better with Right to Repair for Microsoft hardware after pressure from shareholder group As You Sow. They've made a commitment to provide training and replacement parts, along with easier to repair hardware. PAY ATTENTION APPLE. We know they won't, the iPhone 13 is deliberately crippled if...

Twitch got hacked. It's bad. Someone's learning a very important cybersecurity lesson right now. We now know a lot more about how they work on the inside, including payouts for top streamers and private chat messages. Let's hope nobody does anything malicious with this.

NFTs might be coming to gaming to help keep track of player owned items and let characters move between games. Yep, we've combined NFTs and the multiverse. There's still lots of implementation details to flesh out, but based on what we know, Professor still thinks it's a bad idea. Prepare for...

What is the measure of a man? Is it the number of totally awesome robot body parts he has? We hope so. Transhumanism has reached another stride with a biomechanical replacement for kidneys that could eliminate the need for dialysis and transplants. What else can we replace? How long until we can be uploaded into the internet and send Von Neumann probes out to colonise the galaxy?

We're getting a new Mario movie, and the cast is absolutely ridiculous. The big question is: Does Chris Pratt do a bad Italian accent?

Marvel are...

Rusty is coming back to Doctor Who. No, not that one. It's Russell T Davies, back to regenerate the greatest show on TV with his old production team. It remains to be seen whether he can recapture the magic, but the BBC must be desperate. 

Gaming PCs are incredibly rare, and they're likely to get even rarer. This means people will pay a massive premium, and that entry level parts don't really exist anymore. This makes us sad. Everyone should have the opportunity to build a PC and learn about electronics. Maybe in the post apocalyptic f...

A judgment has been handed down in the Apple Vs Epic lawsuit. Now Apple has to allow third party payment systems. This could be the foot in the door to breaking Apple's monopolistic tactics.

Concrete made from Astronaut blood is a potential solution to building on Mars. Let's hope it never gets to the point of keeping people locked up and farming them for building materials.

Denis Villeneuve has joined the battle against Marvel movies turning everybody into zombies. A bit dramatic, but he's really not a fan. And his Dune movie is...

Big Brother is finding ways into your home through your games. You'd be surprised just how much they can tell about you from the way you play.

China has decided to take effeminate men off TV, along with a whole bunch of new criteria. This echoes the Tik Tok ban on ugly and fat people. China, you have some issues with representation. Maybe take a look at that.

An asteroid is coming close to Earth. Prepare now, just in case. South Australians are also complaining about rocket launches. Finally, Australians can go somewhere...

Audio glitches again. They're less obvious on speakers. Hopefully we've actually fixed it this time.

The director of Wonder Woman 1984 has joined the crusade to stop movies being released on streaming. She thinks they look fake. It’s a good cause, but we’re not sure the world is ready for this.

Junk food lowers your life expectancy. Fruit is good for you. A new study has put numbers to just how good and bad some foods are for you.

It’s time to step into the Multiverse. Actually, not so fast...

The audio quality can be a little wonky this week. We've identified the issue and resolved it. Sorry about that.

We’ve heard for years that gamers are violent. But what if gamers were more peaceful in game than the people around them in real life? A really interesting new study has identified that gamers behave differently in EVE Online depending on the type of community they live in.

The Nirvana Nevermind baby isn’t happy about his nudes being plastered all over record stores and the internet. Now he’s suing. We’re not l...

The UN has asked game developers to be more green. It would make a nice change from every brown military shooter of the early 2010s. Oh, wait. They want us to use less energy. The UKIE has written a Green paper on methods for developers to reduce their carbon footprint.

SMS is an awful, insecure method for 2FA, but we still use it because anything better is too hard. Maybe this latest string of hacks will help us move on.

Movies are still going straight to streaming even as vaccination rates increase. This...

We've got a very important issue to talk about this week. Apple wants to look at your private pictures. They've made such a big deal about privacy for years, so what's changed and why can't we trust them anymore? What have you done Tim Apple?

The Australian government really hasn't liked supporting the games industry, despite years of lobbying and studies into how great the industry is for the economy. Someone's finally got through to them and we'll be getting changes to tax and visas to help encourage AAA development.

Jason Mamoa thinks...

The Steam Deck is not coming to Australia yet. WHY, GABEN, WHY? WHY HATH YOU FORSAKEN US? Professor was pretty annoyed that the Index had never released here, but realised researching for this episode that it's finally here. So at least that means maybe the Deck will get here eventually. It has very exciting hardware and has Professor gushing over Valve's push to save us from Microsoft and let us game on Linux.

Amazon's Lord of the Rings series has a release date. Hopefully Jeff Bezos won't make us regret letting him come back from space...

We're back, tell your friends. Let us know what you think of our new format.

California isn't actually banning gaming PCs, despite what you might have heard. Yet again clickbait channels are using lies to drive clicks, which isn't really a surprise. But California IS requiring minimum power consumption for devices in idle state. So get back to gaming and have fun.

Dogs are better than children at knowing when someone is lying. Is this an evolutionary response to owners with laser pointers and hidden treats?

A live action Pokemon...

Despite the universe conspiring to prevent us releasing this week, we've finally got this episode done. Things will be a bit hectic for a few weeks while we sort out moving, but we'll be back to our usual schedule soon.

The Powerpuff Girls, created from sugar, spice and everything nice, were nearly rebooted into a weird dark alternative universe where the Powerpuff girls gain some additional bitterness and relationship issues. It's pretty bad, and the leaked script has gotten the entire concept dumped for a rewrite.

The Xbox Series (Dumb name) has joined...

Disco Elysium is the latest victim of Australia’s Classification Board, those evil boomers who want to stop you having fun. Ok, I’m only exaggerating a little. It took us this long to get R18 games, why do they keep getting banned? Why does the ACB treat games differently to movies? There’s a long history of video game censorship in Australia, and we spent way longer than planned talking about it.

Some ants live significantly longer than others, being waited on hand and foot by the workers. But they aren’t the queen, they’re just wo...

ABC's Four Corners has done a report on predatory microtransactions. It's nice to see a layman's description to help explain to non gamers why this matters so much. We discuss a solution. Maybe. Let us know if you can see any issues.

The Colonial Pipeline has been hacked, resulting in fuel shortages across the South Eastern United States. Is this the start of a new generation of cyber crime? Are people really dumb when it comes to shortages? Probably and yes. SECURE YOUR BACKUPS PEOPLE.

The new He-Man reboot character art has been...