Valve Index, Masters of the Universe & Crew Dragon
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Valve Index, Masters of the Universe & Crew Dragon
The Nerds are back, proving that 107 episodes just isn't too much for the human body to handle.
This week, the Professor has a complaint about that saintly game developer, Valve. What's his problem with Gabe and the multi award winning game studio? They're sold out of VR headsets with only a month to go before the release of Half Life: Alyx.
The Masters of the Universe are coming back as well. The Professor has another complaint, this time about the casting of Skeletor. He thinks it's ridiculous to bring back Skeletor's original voice in a different role and cast a new actor for Skeletor. Even if that actor is the esteemed Mark Hamill. DJ thinks this sacrilege is 100% ok. The star studded cast list has the Nerds highly excited for this revival.
Now that Dragon has been human rated, SpaceX have moved the capsule to the launch pad, and the crew are a pair of former Shuttle pilots. This will be the first manned space mission from the US since the Shuttle program was shut down. America Can Into Space? Soon, hopefully.
Professor and DJ have some trouble pronouncing American Indian and Finnish words in the Remembrances and Shoutouts, and laugh at the Boomers who couldn't believe Bill and Ted actually speak like that.
Stay hydrated and come hang out with us again next week.
Valve Index all sold out…while Half Life : Alyx is a month away
-https://www.roadtovr.com/valve-index-sold-out-stock-check-2-13-2020/
Masters of the Universe:Revelations cast revealed….and its star studded
Crew Dragon capsule now at the launch site…
-https://www.engadget.com/2020/02/15/spacex-crew-dragon-capsule-delivery/
Games Played
Professor
– Particle Fleet Emergence - https://store.steampowered.com/app/422900/Particle_Fleet_Emergence/
Rating – 4/5
DJ
- Warzone 2100 - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1241950/Warzone_2100/
Rating – 3.5/5
Other topics discussed
Magic smoke ((also factory smoke, blue smoke, angry pixies, or the genie) is a humorous name for the caustic smoke produced by severe electrical over-stress of electronic circuits or components, causing overheating and accompanying release of smoke.)
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_smoke
Samsung Gear VR (The Samsung Gear VR is a virtual reality headset developed by Samsung Electronics, in collaboration with Oculus VR, and manufactured by Samsung.)
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Gear_VR
Facebook’s Oculus Quest VR Headset Shipments Delayed As Industry Grapples With Coronavirus Complications
Playstation VR ( (officially abbreviated as PS VR), known by the codename Project Morpheus during development, is a virtual reality headset developed by Sony Computer Entertainment, which was released in October 2016)
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_VR
Virtual Boy (The Virtual Boy is a 32-bit table-top portable video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo)
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Boy
Warcraft III : Reforged (Warcraft III: Reforged is a remastered edition of the 2002real-time strategy video game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion The Frozen Throne.)
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warcraft_III:_Reforged
Mossman (voiced by Alan Oppenheimer in the new Masters of the Universe series)
Justice league Action : Missing the Mark (When famous actor Mark Hamill is kidnapped by master villain The Joker it will take all his voice acting skills to escape.)
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL-VHe_4GmE
He-Man singing What’s Going On by Four Non Blondes
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32FB-gYr49Y
SpaceX Rocket Engines (Since the founding of SpaceX in 2002, the company has developed four families of rocket engines — Merlin,Kestrel,Draco and SuperDraco — and is currently (since 2016) developing another rocket engine: Raptor.)
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_rocket_engines
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 (Launch Complex 39 (LC-39) is a rocket launch site at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, United States.)
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Space_Center_Launch_Complex_39
Space shuttle (The Space Shuttle is a partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system that was operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program.)
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle
Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster (The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was a fatal incident in the United States space program that occurred on Tuesday, January 28, 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-099) broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members aboard.)
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster (The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster was a fatal incident in the United States space program that occurred on February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) disintegrated as it re-entered the atmosphere, killing all seven crew members.)
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia_disaster
Asteroids (Asteroids is a space-themed multidirectional shooter arcade game designed by Lyle Rains, Ed Logg, and Dominic Walsh and released in November 1979 by Atari, Inc. )
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroids_(video_game)
Roundabout (Roundabout is an open-world indie driving video game developed and published by American indie studio No Goblin LLC)
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundabout_(video_game)
Eiffel 65 - I'm Blue (da ba dee)
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yV3R0fj988
Christopher Eccleston reveals he was ‘very ill’ with anorexia while filming ‘Doctor Who’
-https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/doctor-who-christopher-eccleston-anorexia-depression-1203338303/
Epigraphy (TNC podcast)
-https://thatsnotcanon.com/epigraphypodcast
Shout Outs
16 February 2020 – Sonic the Hedgehog earns $100 million at the global box - https://variety.com/2020/film/news/sonic-box-office-global-little-women-milestone-1203505417/
Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” dominated global box office charts after debuting to $100 million worldwide. “Sonic,” based on the popular Sega video game, pulled in $43 million when it launched in 43 international territories, representing 60% of its foreign footprint. Among overseas markets, Mexico saw the biggest start with $6.7 million, followed by the United Kingdom with $6.2 million, France with $4.3 million and Germany with $3.3 million. “Sonic” easily took the No. 1 spot on both international and domestic box office charts, knocking last weekend’s victor, Warner Bros.’ “Birds of Prey” to second place. The R-rated comic-book adventure — starring Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn — pocketed $23 million from 78 foreign markets, dipping 46% from its inaugural outing. To date, “Birds of Prey” has made $83 million abroad and $142 million worldwide.
17 February 2020 – Saskia Beer daughter of food icon Maggie beer dies unexpectedly – https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-17/saskia-beer-daughter-of-maggie-beer-dies-suddenly-in-her-sleep/11970996
Saskia Beer, the daughter of South Australian cooking legend Maggie Beer has died "unexpectedly" yet "peacefully" in her sleep at the weekend. Saskia was the eldest daughter of Barossa Valley food icon Maggie Beer, who shared a statement on social media on Sunday saying her family had "broken hearts". "It is with broken hearts we need to let you all know that our beautiful, extraordinary daughter Saskia died unexpectedly yet peacefully in her sleep on Friday night," the post said. She died at the age of 46.
17 February 2020 – Holden is shutting down at the end of the year. - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-17/holden-car-brand-axed-after-160-years-in-australia/11972092
About 600 Holden employees will lose their jobs after parent company General Motors announced it would axe the iconic Australian car brand by the end of the year. GM said the brand was no longer competitive in the current market and would be "retired" from sales, design and engineering across Australia and New Zealand by 2021. The announcement coincides with GM's decision to withdraw Chevrolet from the domestic market in Thailand by the end of the year.
Remembrances
17 February 1909 – Geronimo - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geronimo
Prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Apache tribe. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Chiricahua Apache bands — the Tchihende, the Tsokanende and the Nednhi — to carry out numerous raids, as well as fight against Mexican and U.S. military campaigns in the northern Mexico states of Chihuahua and Sonora and in the southwestern American territories of New Mexico and Arizona. Geronimo's raids and related combat actions were a part of the prolonged period of the Apache–United States conflict, which started with American settlement in Apache lands following the end of the war with Mexico in 1848. During Geronimo's final period of conflict from 1876 to 1886, he "surrendered" three times and accepted life on the Apache reservations in Arizona. Reservation life was confining to the free-moving Apache people, and they resented restrictions on their customary way of life. He was a superb leader in raiding and warfare, he frequently led large numbers of men beyond his own following. At any one time, he would be in command of about 30 to 50 Apaches. He died from pneumonia at the age of 79 in Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
17 February 2017 – Alan Aldridge - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Aldridge
British artist, graphic designer and illustrator. He is best known for his psychedelic artwork made for books and record covers by The Beatles and The Who. He designed a series of science fiction book covers for Penguin Books. He made a big impression with his illustrations for The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics book. He also provided illustrations for The Penguin Book of Comics, a history of British and American comic art. His work was characterised by a flowing, cartoony style and soft airbrushing – very much in step with the psychedelic styles of the times. His work includes the 1971 anti-war poster entitled A great place for hamburgers but who'd want to live there! Aldridge also created the artwork for Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy by Elton John in 1975. He also the creator of the Hard Rock Café logo. He died at the age of 78 in Los Angeles, California.
18 February 2019 – Toni Myers - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Myers
Canadian film editor, writer, director, and producer, best known for her 3D IMAX work. Ms. Myers’s half-century in filmmaking included credits as writer, producer, narrator and editor as well as director. Much of that work involved documentaries that made use of Imax technology, which, with a bigger screen and enhanced sound, creates a more vivid viewing experience than a conventional movie offers. Ms. Myers directed three feature-length Imax films: “Space Station 3D” (2002), about the construction and occupation of the International Space Station; “Hubble 3D” (2010), which documented a 2009 shuttle flight to repair the Hubble telescope; and “A Beautiful Planet” (2016), which concentrated on images of Earth shot from space. All had marquee narrators — Tom Cruise for the first, Leonardo DiCaprio for the second, Jennifer Lawrence for the last. She explained in a 2010 interview with The Gazette of Montreal, “The sun rises and sets every 90 minutes in space, which means there wasn’t much time to capture the shots we asked them to get,”. She also said “There was no time or room to say: ‘Could you move to the right? It would make a better shot,’”. She died from cancer at the age of 76 in Toronto.
Famous Birthdays
16 February 1964 – Christopher Eccleston – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Eccleston
English actor. The recipient of an Emmy Award and two BAFTA Award nominations, Eccleston is best known for his work on television and in film – in particular for his collaborations with directors Danny Boyle and Michael Winterbottom and writers Peter Flannery, Jimmy McGovern and Russell T. Davies. Eccleston garnered attention for his film roles as Derek Bentley in Let Him Have It and David Stevens in Shallow Grave and for his television performances in Cracker and Hillsborough. His BAFTA-nominated performance as Nicky Hutchinson in the BBCminiseries Our Friends in the North (1996) established Eccleston as a household name in the UK; he followed the serial with film roles in Jude, eXistenZ, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Others, and 28 Days Later and television roles including the drama series Clocking Off and a second BAFTA-nominated performance as Messianic figure Stephen Baxter in the ITV drama serial The Second Coming. Eccleston garnered widespread attention and acclaim for portraying the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in the 2005 revival of the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, becoming the first to play the role since 1996. He departed the role after a single series, winning a National Television Award and receiving Broadcasting Press Guild Award and BAFTA Cymru Award nominations for his performance. Eccleston has since appeared in the television series Heroes among other tv series and films including G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Thor: The Dark World and Legend. He won an International Emmy Award for his performance in an episode of the anthology series Accused. Onstage, Eccleston has played the title roles in productions of Hamlet and Macbeth as well as starring in productions of Miss Julie, A Doll's House and Antigone. He was born in Langworthy, Salford.
17 February 1864 – Banjo Paterson – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjo_Paterson
Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong,New South Wales, where he spent much of his childhood. Paterson's more notable poems include "Clancy of the Overflow" (1889), "The Man from Snowy River" (1890) and "Waltzing Matilda" (1895), regarded widely as Australia's unofficial national anthem. He was born in "Narrambla", near Orange, New South Wales.
17 February 1934 – Barry Humphries - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Humphries
Australian comedian, actor, satirist, artist, and author. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film producer and script writer, a star of London's West End musical theatre, an award-winning writer, and an accomplished landscape painter. Humphries' characters have brought him international renown, and he also appeared in numerous stage productions, films, and television shows. Originally conceived as a dowdy Moonee Ponds housewife who caricatured Australian suburban complacency and insularity, Dame Edna Everage has evolved over four decades to become a satire of stardom – a gaudily dressed, acid-tongued, egomaniacal, internationally fêted Housewife "Gigastar". He was born in Kew, Melbourne, Victoria.
Events of Interest
17 February 1864 – H.L Hunley sunk a ship
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_USS_Housatonic
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._L._Hunley_(submarine)#Attack_on_Housatonic
H.L. Hunley or Hunley made her only attack against an enemy target on the night of February 17, 1864. The target was the USS Housatonic, a 1,240 long tons (1,260 t) wooden-hulled steam-powered sloop-of-war with 12 large cannons, which was stationed at the entrance to Charleston, about 5 miles (8.0 kilometres) offshore. Desperate to break the naval blockade of the city, Lieutenant George E. Dixon and a crew of seven volunteers successfully attacked Housatonic, ramming Hunley's only spar torpedo against the enemy's hull. The torpedo was detonated, sending Housatonic to the bottom in five minutes, along with five of her crewmen. Hunley did not survive the attack and sank, taking with her all eight members of her third crew, and was lost. The Sinking of USS Housatonic on 17 February 1864 during the American Civil War was an important turning point in naval warfare. H.L. Hunley became renowned as the first submarine to successfully sink an enemy vessel in combat, and was the direct progenitor of what would eventually become international submarine warfare, although the victory was Pyrrhic and short-lived, since the submarine did not survive the attack and was lost with all eight Confederate crewmen.
17 February 1984 – Krull makes its way into theatres in Finland - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krull_(film)
The film was released under Krull ja näkymätön vihollinen or Krull and the invisible enemy. Directed by Peter Yates, the feature starred Ken Marshall and Lysette Anthony, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com: "A prince and a fellowship of companions set out to rescue his bride from a fortress of alien invaders who have arrived on their home planet." Krull underwent a very expensive, harsh, and dangerous production process. The film's huge budget ballooned, mainly due to the designers having to make numerous alterations to the sets corresponding to the heavily evolving script. The film was a commercial failure upon release, and critical opinion has been mixed, both upon release and in retrospect. Numerous reviewers have highlighted its visual effects and soundtrack, while several critics have criticized its plot as being derivative and nonsensical. The film has gone on to achieve cult film status.
17 February 1989 – Bill and Ted’s excellent adventure came into theatres. -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_%26_Ted%27s_Excellent_Adventure#Release
The flick premiered on this day in 1989, and it still enjoys a cult audience today ... so much so that a third installment is said to be in-the-works. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure received generally positive reviews, and was a success at the box office, grossing $40.5 million against a $6.5 million budget. The picture had been planned for a 1988 release, and filming and production had completed on schedule. However, the original film distributor, DEG, fell into significant debt in late 1987, and by 1988 had filed for bankruptcy. At this point, the film was in post-production, and the director Stephen Henek attempted to show around the rough cut to other distributors. Henek said many of these companies were confused, asking him "Are there kids that really speak like this?" on seeing the film. However, the cut had an extremely popular reaction from a test audience of volunteers pulled from local malls, which led to a small bidding war from production companies to get the title.
Intro
Artist – Goblins from Mars
Song Title – Super Mario - Overworld Theme (GFM Trap Remix)
Song Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNMe6kF0j0&index=4&list=PLHmTsVREU3Ar1AJWkimkl6Pux3R5PB-QJ
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