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

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

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

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

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

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

Come back next week, we miss you.

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Valve Leaks, PS5, Live Action Anime Movies & Nightmares

As the year slowly slips away and the autumn leaves remind us of our inescapable mortality, it's time for another episode of Nerds Amalgamated.

First up this week, Valve is leaking and blowing off some steam. The entire source code for TF2 and CSGO has been leaked, and Valve News Network's source has some interesting rumours about Half Life 3.

The PS5 finally has a release date and a price. It's finally time to move to the next generation of consoles, but don't make space in your TV cabinet just yet.

More anime is becoming live action. Because that's exactly what everyone was begging for. This time it's Cowboy Bebop season 2 and One Punch Man.

But in another nightmare, your Ego has a big part to play in the frequency of nightmares. Is self-affirmation a more effective dream weapon than Freddy Kruger's claws?

This week, Professor went Old Skool and played Objects in Space, a modempunk space adventure. DJ chose a demolition derby to knock out some stress and Dev-i isn't ready to leave the VR Chat world just yet.

Come back next time for more Nerdy News.

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Indiana Jones, Youtube, C.O.D Humvee & Lizard Eggs

This week the Nerds invited Dev-i-Boy on again. He'll be joining us for the next while.

First up is a discussion about Indiana Jones 5. Can Indy swing himself back into relevance for a new generation? Not if COVID-19 has anything to say about it. Indiana Jones 5 has been pushed back again due to the pandemic. The Nerds are hoping Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeouf doesn't make another appearance as Indy's son, but we'd be ok with him appearing as a cannibal tribesman. This of course leads into a discussion on Disney's other properties, including the notorious Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise. This looks like a rough year for Disney.

Dev-i-Boy has heard that Russians are behind everyone's favourite YouTube channel, Five Minute Crafts. In a story reminiscent of bad Cold War fiction, Russian propaganda is slipped into innocuous seeming YouTube videos. Now we just need a team of teenagers to sneak into the secret Russian video studio lab and uncover their plot.

Activision has pulled off a major win in court against the maker of the Humvee. Modern warfare needs modern weapons, and the US courts have ruled in favour of realism over licensing fees.

Finally, DJ and Dev-i-Boy can't handle the knowledge. An Australian lizard joins the tiny group of reptiles that both lay eggs and give live birth. This revelation is too much for them to handle though, so we move on to the games of the week.

Professor and DJ play Generation Zero, a game about Swedish battle mechs and robot dogs that want to kill you. It's buggy, but generally a good experience. Dev-i played LoZ: Wind Waker again but breaks into a new dimension in VR Chat. Of course, he picked an anime girl avatar. Of course.

On to the usual shoutouts and remembrances, and DJ refuses to wrap up the show by performing Waterloo. Maybe next week.

Stay safe, and we'll see you all next week.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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High Stakes, Hollywood & Forbidden Library

It's that time of week again, so check out our newest episode.

To start this week, we have a bit of levity. NASA have programmed one of their robots to hit itself with a shovel. It's all for a good cause, they want to get their InSight lander's mole digging again. The probe became stuck and using the shovel as a hammer is just the latest attempt to get it going again.

DJ wants to tell us about Hollywood's response to COVID-19, including delays to the filming of Amazon's Lord of the Rings series. Now New Zealand has closed their borders and the Hobbits will not be going to Isengard.

Next, it's time to enter THE FORBIDDEN LIBRARY. It isn't just in Harry Potter anymore; a group have created a library dedicated to copying articles from countries without press freedom. Did we mention it's in Minecraft? Next time you get busted playing Minecraft when you should be doing homework, just say you're researching.

On this week's games section, Professor makes a declaration that will surely lead to war. Having experienced Final Fantasy 7 and Black Mesa, he declares Black Mesa the better remake. If anyone has an issue with this, we'll have to substitute fisticuffs with videogames.

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Two Years On - We Are Still Here - Greening, Dune & E.A.

Happy birthday to us, happy birthday to us, yep it is our 2nd birthday episode. We wish to say thank you to everyone who listens to us. We really appreciate all the support and encouragement we have received. It has been an amazing experience that we have all enjoyed on the Nerds team. Well, here is to another year of Nerdity and fun, we hope you enjoy everything as we continue to look for those items we enjoy learning about and discussing.

            First up this week Buck brings us news that Global Warming is being slowed by a phenomenon known as Global Greening. Apparently all the carbon emissions have provided a positive impact for the trees and plants. Now, this is only a small impact and not enough to celebrate with street parties, but still it is some good news. So with this news coming to light and in the wake of the recent bushfires in Australia it might be a good idea to plant some trees or bushes to help the environment. If nothing else it will give the computers and consoles a break for an hour or two.

            Next up DJ has the first reactions to the new Dune movie, and it is looking promising. Of course Professor and Buck being the fans they are have some reservations, but are excited to see the latest offering when it is released. There is the usual discussion about who might be the best option for director, what were the failures in the previous movies; and what were the successes from them as well. But hopefully one day an offering will be presented that is worthy of Frank Herbert’s legendary work. DJ continues with a discussion on the impact of the Coronavirus on the Chinese film industry. There have been major disruptions in the Chinese economy and a large section of the industry is on hold while China tries to combat this epidemic. We discuss the broad effects of this, but we wish everyone well and hope that this is contained and treated soon.

            Professor has a list of 14 new games that are planned to be released this next fiscal year by EA. We have a look at the offerings and discuss what we think is the most exciting or interesting of these releases. Now it might interest you to know that what we found as the most interesting games to look forward to. We will tell you, to find out listen in and learn what are the games being released that Professor is most interested to see. Also what game Buck thinks should move across to the EA studio catalogue; and what he thinks is an approach to the new Battlefield game if the crew behind Star Citizen were involved.

            As usual we have the Shout outs, Remembrances, Birthdays, and Events of Interest for the week. We invite you to check out MySongsSuck, with our man Alex Smith. Also there is there offering of The Story Chunder, which is sure to delight some and perchance disgust others. As always remember to take care of yourselves, look out for each other, and stay hydrated.

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Toyota, 1917 & Google Stadia

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

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

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

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

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Kirigami, Anime & Remake

Here we are again the latest episode from the triplets of Nerdity, that’s right folks those wacky goofballs have done it again. First up we have Buck bringing us news about new robots using the art of Kirigami. The art of cutting paper, in this case it is cutting and folding paper. This method has been applied to robotics with some awesome results. Now while it is only early days, we ask you to remember the Origami claw we featured a while back. With this in mind you will understand why Buck is excited, and Professor joins in with the excitement. This is just the start of the show and it is already looking fantastic.

                Next we look at the dismal lack of taste exhibited by the foolish bunch of weirdos in Hollywood behind the Golden Globes. That’s right we said it, actually Buck did if any snipers are being sent for reprisals. But seriously, just get those idiots to go look at some of the amazing work in animation out there. It doesn’t have to be all CGI, honestly Hollywood was built on proper special effects. These days they struggle to do anything outside a computer lab. While we are not meaning to insult CGI and the wonders it can produce, why can’t we have some proper animation and anime getting awards. When can we see some real special effects like we used to get back in the day. Not meaning to sound as grumpy as Buck or as old as a Boomer but seriously the talent involved in special effects was astounding.

                Last we look at a remake of Sonic 06 that is actually looking good. That is until corporate lawyers realised they could make money by getting it shut down. Take a moment and open the link, doesn’t that look so much better then what was dumped on the market like so much garbage? The amount of work involved must be mind-blowing, but there may be hope for the future. Want to know what that might be, well you will need to listen in to find out. You thought I was slipping and going to tell you everything, but believe me, there is so much more for you.

                We finish with the regular shout outs, remembrances, birthdays, and special events. As always we hope you take care of yourselves, look out for each other and stay hydrated.

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Pegg, Dungeon & Hanabi

Welcome back for another amazing episode from the triplets of mayhem, the Nerds Amalgamated crew. This week we have an excellent show for you to enjoy with everyone in fine form and having fun. The first topic of the week is from DJ looking into Simon Pegg claiming that cinema appears to be dying. Now does this relate to the comments about thin margins in movies? Well, that is a good question and if you want to know more you will have to listen in to find out. But we are you will laugh when you listen to this section.

                Next up Professor unveils his darker side and lures us into a dungeon…. What, he doesn’t… oops sorry apparently that was supposed to be Professor tells us about a dungeon game made by an AI. My apologies, but it is a reasonably easy mistake to make, after all he is a bit of a mad scientist. But this is looking really cool and fun, some of the options in this are pretty outstanding. Once again this is not a warning about AI trying to take over the world…yet.

                Last up we have an AI system that is learning how to work co-operatively with people, and possibly manipulating them. Buck brings us a story about some research from Facebook’s AI team that is pretty darn well ground breaking in regards to the results being achieved. We are talking about an attempt to formulate a near perfect response to an imperfect problem. What does that mean, well listen in and you can find out.

                As usual we have the games being played, with Buck changing his at the last second which is kind of cool. Then this is followed by the regular variety of shout outs, remembrances, birthdays, and special events. We are offering a new service, if you are feeling a little pompous and wish to regain that sense of reality Buck is offering to develop a personal insult just for you. As always please remember to take care of yourselves, look out for each other and stay hydrated.

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2019 Supernova review featuring Shaun from Comics2Movies

Roll up, roll up, roll up, or if you are in Queensland and melting in this heat wash up instead. Wow, this week we have an awesome and exciting show full of fun and laughter for you to enjoy. We also have a special guest joining us to recap the fabulous Supanova Brisbane!!! That’s right folks, Supanova again (we need Kermit the Frog here running off waving his hands). We talk about some of the cool things we saw, some of the things that made us laugh, and why Buck seems to fear lycra, although to be fair it is a valid point.

We also announce the winner of the Nerdy Bag of holding competition. Congratulations to Jessica on winning our inaugural Supanova competition. We hope to have it again next year so, make sure you listen to get involved, also next year we will make entry available for our international listeners. Now I can give you no more spoilers or teasers on this week’s episode as there is just sooooo much to look forward to other then yes, Buck did argue with some people at Supanova.

Oh, we do have the games being played, the regular shout outs, remembrances, birthdays and special events for the week. We also wish to give a special thank you to some awesome people, the legends at Sons of Obiwan, the heroes at SuperTee, and the Rockstar Shaun at Comics2Movies, they all contributed gear to the Nerdy Bag of Holding. Thank you so much for helping to make this happen. Also a huge thank you to the all-powerful Podfather (All hail the Podfather) for helping us be at Supanova and the Baroness for all her hard work in organizing the event, also her patience when we were misbehaving like little boys with all the excitement.

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Indiana Jones, Robotic Delivery Boys & AMD Ryzen

WOW!!! We have an amazing episode for you this week, first up, thank you to our 1000 weekly listeners, you are amazing. At last, winter is here, and Professor and Buck are both totally enjoying it. DJ has brought us the controversy of the week, with wild claims of a new Indiana Jones, and the boys pile in on him. Once again we solve the world’s greatest issues with logic and careful consideration. We decide Chris Pratt is not suitable for taking on the role and also convince DJ that Indiana Jones is not a Marvel character yet; give Disney time and they will make it happen eventually I’m sure.

            With a fabulous Segway into the next topic we look at Digit. Not the figures, the robot that will help deliver your shopping from the car to your door. Professor decides he wants one to carry the shopping from the door to the kitchen and then cook his food. DJ calls robots slaves, revealing his desire to take over the world. Buck and Professor decide that given the way technology has been moving they wish to become Cyborgs and serve the robot overlords. We align the killer drones, self-replicating robots, driverless cars and robot dogs.

            Moving along before we get into too much trouble. We have a new CPU that is pushing the limits and is looks surprised at how amazing it is. AMD is back baby and challenging Intel once again. Buck and Professor fully geek out over what this means for building your own system. If you get confused and lost please let us know; we will get Professor to write up a translation for you. We also figure out how to turn your computer into an oven. We mean literally you will be able to cook your sausages and toast your marsh mellows.

            As always we make fun of everything, have a laugh with each other, at each other and life in general. We have the usual shout outs, remembrances, birthdays, and events of interest. As always, take care of yourselves, look out for each other, and stay hydrated. NERDS rule!!!

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Back flip, True Lies & DRM

Here we go with another episode from Nerds Amalgamated. This week is packed full of fun stuff to look forward to. First up is it a robot or is it a dog? It is Boston Dynamics student competitors with Standford Doggo. This fabulous little robot is awesome and does tricks, listen in to find out what they are. Also did you want your very own robot doggo? Well you are in luck as we tell you about how to get one. Also check our website for the show notes with hyperlinks, you need the article to get what you need.

            Next up we have DJ telling us about a proposed new series coming out based on a movie. Yep, another movie is being adapted for your viewing pleasure. It will once again not have the same actors in it that were the main stars in the movie, like so many others out there. But hopefully it will be enjoyable all the same. We won’t hold our breathe but surely they will have learned something over there by now… Who the heck are we kidding, those idiots never listen to anyone else, let alone the proposed viewing public.

            Next up we look at the blooper that is worthy of a standing ovation. Someone involved with the release of a game from Bethesda studios forgot the DRM. We know, how unlike Bethesda to stuff up something right? BWAHAHA!!! This amazing bit of luck is available on Steam and quite probably numerous other websites that deal in nefarious shadowy dealings. We personally are unaware of the names of such sites and therefore are unable to confirm or deny such suggestions. But come on, just think about it, a brand new game released without the DRM and no one is going to chase that down the rabbit hole of pirating it? Yeah, like Game of Thrones was never pirated ever.

            We have the usual shout outs, remembrances, birthdays and events from history. Plus games we are playing at the moment. All combined into one big mess that we call the show. We hope you enjoy and as always, stay safe, look after each other and stay hydrated.

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Movies, Smells & CRISPR

Movies coming in May - https://comicbook.com/movies/2019/04/30/movies-arriving-may-2019/#6

Bad sense of smell predicts early death - https://www.newscientist.com/article/2201021-a-bad-sense-of-smell-predicts-early-death-but-we-dont-know-why/

CRISPR storing GIFS - https://www.alphr.com/bioscience/1006302/scientists-have-used-crispr-to-store-a-gif-inside-the-dna-of-a-living-cell

Games currently playing

Buck

– Assassin’s Creed Unity - https://store.steampowered.com/app/289650/Assassins_Creed_Unity/

Professor

– Minecraft - https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/

DJ

– Mortal Kombat 11 - https://store.steampowered.com/app/976310/Mortal_Kombat11/

Other topics discussed

A Dog’s Journey (film)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Dog%27s_Journey_(film)

Isle of Dogs (film)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Dogs_(film)

The Professor (film)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Professor_(2018_film)

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (film)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wick:_Chapter_3_%E2%80%93_Parabellum

Clara (film)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_(film)

The Professor & the Madman (film)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Professor_and_the_Madman_(film)

Aladdin (2019 disney film)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aladdin_(2019_film)

Sonic the Hedgehog (2019 film)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_(film)

Tolkien (film)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolkien_(film)

Rock of Ages (film)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Ages_(2012_film)

Bohemian Rhapsody (film)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Rhapsody_(film)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019 film)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla:_King_of_the_Monsters_(2019_film)

Plucking nose hairs is not a good idea

- https://www.businessinsider.com.au/why-you-shouldnt-pluck-your-nose-hairs-2016-7?r=US&IR=T

How to pronounce GIF

- https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/battle-over-gif-pronunciation-erupts/

Ways to add CRISPR into the body

- https://www.technologyreview.com/s/608898/five-ways-to-get-crispr-into-the-body/

A New World Order podcast

- https://thatsnotcanon.com/anewworldorder

Big Fat Liar (film)

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

Y2K of GPS

- https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-04-05/gps-rollover-global-positioning-system-receivers-satellites/10966218

Gal Gadot’s stunt double in Wonder Woman movie

- http://www.espn.com/espnw/culture/article/19510724/stunt-double-caitlin-dechelle-wonder-woman-real-life-superpowers

Maxwell Klinger (M*A*S*H character)

- https://mash.fandom.com/wiki/Maxwell_Q._Klinger

Shoutouts

27 Apr 1922 – Record breaking Sheila Scott was born, she later in life went on to become an accomplished female pilot. In 1966, Sheila made her first around-the-world flight, covering about 31,000 miles in 189 flying hours. It was the first such solo flight by a British subject, the longest-distance solo flight, and only the third around-the-world flight by a woman. Then records began to tumble: between London and Cape Town in 1967; across the North Atlantic the same year; across the South Atlantic in 1969; from equator to equator over the North Pole in 1971, becoming the first woman to pilot a flight circling the world by way of the North Pole in a light aircraft. After her record polar flight, she made a third around-the-world flight, earning her 100th world-class record, including a new time from Darwin, Australia, to London of three and a half days, beating the previous record by one and a half days. In 1967, she set 23 world records in just one year. - https://www.onthisday.com/articles/record-breaking-sheila-the-high-flying-aviator

29 Apr 2019 - Dragon Ball Creator Akira Toriyama has been nominated in the "Voters Choice" category for the Eisner Hall of Fame awards - https://comicbook.com/anime/2019/04/29/dragon-ball-akira-toriyama-eisner-award-nomination-2019/

30 Apr 1888 – 1888 Moradabad hailstorm: hail stones allegedly as big as oranges kill 246 people and some 1600 sheep and cattle in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1888_Moradabad_hailstorm

30 Apr 1989 - World Wide Web (WWW) is first launched in the public domain by CERN scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee - https://www.onthisday.com/people/tim-berners-lee

Remembrances

29 Apr 2019 – John Singleton, American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was best known for directing Boyz n the Hood (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, becoming, at age 24, the first African American and youngest person to have ever been nominated for that award. Singleton was a native of South Los Angeles, and many of his films, such as Poetic Justice (1993), Higher Learning (1995), and Baby Boy (2001), had themes which resonated with the contemporary urban population. He also directed the drama Rosewood (1997) and the action films Shaft (2000), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), and Four Brothers (2005). He co-created the television crime drama Snowfall. He died of a stroke at 51 in Los Angeles, California - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Singleton

29 Apr 2019 – Les Murray, Australian poet, anthologist and critic. His career spanned over 40 years and he published nearly 30 volumes of poetry as well as two verse novels and collections of his prose writings. His poetry won many awards and he is regarded as "the leading Australian poet of his generation". He was rated by the National Trust of Australia as one of the 100 Australian Living Treasures. He died at 80 in Taree, New South Wales. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Murray_(poet)

30 Apr 1792 - John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, a British statesman who succeeded his grandfather Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich as the Earl of Sandwich in 1729, at the age of ten. During his life, he held various military and political offices, including Postmaster General, First Lord of the Admiralty, and Secretary of State for the Northern Department. He is also known for the claim that he was the eponymous inventor of the sandwich. He died at 73 in Chiswick,England - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Montagu,_4th_Earl_of_Sandwich

30 Apr 1974 - Agnes Moorehead, American actress whose 41-year career included work in radio, stage, film, and television. She is best known for her role as Endora on the television series Bewitched, but she also has notable roles in films, including Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, Dark Passage, All That Heaven Allows, Show Boat, and Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte. Moorehead rarely played lead roles, but her skill at character development and range earned her one Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards in addition to nominations for four Academy Awards and six Emmy Awards. She was the first woman to host the Oscars ceremony. Her transition to television won acclaim for drama and comedy. She could play many different types, but often portrayed haughty, arrogant characters. She died of uterine cancer at 73 in Rochester, Minnesota - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_Moorehead

Famous Birthdays

30 Apr 1921 - Roger L. Easton, American scientist/physicist who was the principal inventor and designer of the Global Positioning System (GPS), along with Ivan A. Getting and Bradford Parkinson. He was born in Craftsbury, Vermont - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_L._Easton

30 Apr 1985 – Gal Gadot, Israeli actress and model. At age 18, she was crowned Miss Israel 2004. She then served two years in the Israel Defense Forces as a combat instructor, and began studying law and international relations at IDC Herzliya college while building up her modeling and acting careers. Gadot's first international film role came as Gisele Yashar in Fast & Furious (2009), a role she reprised in subsequent installments of the film franchise. She went on to earn worldwide fame for portraying Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe, beginning with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), followed by the solo film Wonder Woman and the ensemble Justice League (both 2017). In 2018, Gadot was included on Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and was listed among the highest-paid actresses in the world. She was born in Petah Tikva, Israel - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gal_Gadot

1 May 1738 - Kamehameha 1, Hawaiian conqueror who united the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi in 1810. He was born in Kohala, Hawaii

- https://www.onthisday.com/people/kamehameha-i

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

1 May 1923 - Joseph Heller, American author of novels, short stories, plays and screenplays. His best-known work is the novel Catch-22, a satire on war and bureaucracy, whose title has become a synonym for an absurd or contradictory choice. He was born in Brooklyn, New York - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Heller

Events of Interest

1 May 1786 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "Marriage of Figaro" premieres in Vienna with Mozart himself directing - https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mozarts-le-nozze-di-figaro-premieres-in-vienna

1 May 1840 - The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system was first issued. It was not valid for use until 6 May. The Penny Black features a profile of Queen Victoria. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Black

1 May 1994 – Three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna is killed in an accident whilst leading the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Ayrton_Senna

1 May 1999 - SpongeBob SquarePants premiere on Nickelodeon after the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards. It has received worldwide critical acclaim since its premiere and gained enormous popularity by its second season. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spongebob_squarepants

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

Follow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/

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Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamated

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GB Studios, Batman & Human Gene Editing

Hi, hello and welcome to another amazing episode from Nerds Amalgamated. Once again we enjoy bringing you this slice of entertainment from the world of the NERD pop culture news, where all are welcome. We pause for a moment to pay our respect to the victims of the cowardly bombings in Sri Lanka over Easter. Also we pause to honour the ANZACs, those individuals who have helped defend Australia and New Zealand for over a century.

            First topic is from the Professor, and it is about an open source game making program that enables the creation of 8-bit type games. Useable on web-browsers and portable devices such as the Nintendo Gameboy (All trademarks acknowledged – so don’t sue us please Nintendo, Buck is still not happy with you). This is looking like a fun way of making your own games and also introducing coding and game development to a new generation.

            Then we look at a birthday celebration for Batman, 80 years old and still giving crime a beat down. Yep, there is a return of the quadrilogy from the 90’s to cinemas. So grab you friends, dig those happy pants out of the cupboard and shake up that hair spray and head on down. You get to see the two Michael Keaton Batman movies, followed by Val Kilmer and then George Clooney. We discuss Bat-nipple gate and how fun these movies were. Plus we hear how tragic Buck was at decorating his bedroom as a teenager.

            Next up we look at further plans to make use of CRISPR for gene editing, this time to prevent hereditary diseases. Say hi to the start of Gattaca folks, we have a group of mad scientists running around with questionable ethics who don’t watch movies. Next they will be telling us about how they want to remake dinosaurs and release them into the wild, like that other movie. Don’t these people ever learn to think about the consequences of their actions?

            We finish off with the usual shout out, remembrances, birthdays and events. As always take care of each other and stay hydrated.

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Dr. Dolittle, Moon Water & Crazy Taxi

Well hello once again, once again those Nerds have given us another episode full of fun and laughter, so strap in and hang on tight as we enjoy the rid. Please remember to keep arms inside the ride at all times to avoid injury. To start this mad cap episode we have the cast list of the new Dr. Dolittle with Robert Downey Jr. This cast has almost as many stars as the US flag. Will this be just another remake of a great movie, or will it be great? Who knows, at present all we know for sure is the cast is pretty impressive. Next up we take a moment to discuss the presence of water on the moon. That’s right water on the moon, is it H2O or OH, is there enough for a pool to soak away the long dreary hours after working all day as a janitor. Oops, that was the story for Space Quest, sorry. But the presence of water is important to plans to build a moon base for further space exploration. Last topic is about Crazy Taxi and not horrifying us with gruesome violence like the horror movie right there on our TV, called the 6 o’clock news. Sorry, distracted again, but hey, it is an amazing line up to entertain you and is followed by the usual shout outs, remembrances, birthdays and events of interest. As always we would love to hear from you, and please remember to take care of each other and stay hydrated.

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Spacewalk, Hall of Fame & Dora

To start with, welcome back and hello to the new listeners, we hope everyone is having fun and taking care of themselves. So this week we find out that NASA forgot to pack enough clothes for the astronauts and that by doing this we failed to see history being made. That’s right folks, we had the first all-female space-walk in history planned and someone messed up. We roast the folks at NASA for messing this up. Hopefully it will be able to happen next time and become a regular practice. Also for those in Brisbane the Queensland Museum has an exhibit of space suits and other items to spend some time dreaming over.  Next up we look at the latest on this year’s Video Game Hall of Fame nominations, some are looking good and one is surprising. We take a look at the games already in the Hall and try to find out which is the favourite. Unfortunately Leisure Suit Larry isn’t on the list, neither was there any of the Police Quest, Space Quest or Outrun for Buck. Oh to be so old and to have played so many games as our resident geriatric. Lastly we review the new movie coming out for Dora the Explorer and try to figure out if it is working out to be great or just another in a long line of failures. One thing though is Danny Trejo is involved and we don’t think he has a machete in this movie. Oh well, I guess it is safe for kids to watch then. As usual we have the regular list of shout outs, remembrances, birthdays, and events of interest. As usual we have a lot of fun bringing you this latest episode of mayhem, so settle in with a cup of earl grey and a biscuit while we bring you some of the news this week in Nerd pop culture. Remember, take care of each other and stay hydrated.

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Dune, Epic Games Store & Quantum Tunneling

In this latest episode we start with news that Dune is set to start shooting soon and the central cast is listed. It appears it is not a remake but a complete reimagining of the story, with promise it is going to be close to the book. At least it does not have Dwayne “the Rock” in it like some many other dismal remakes over the last few years. Also it is not a Disney remake or a Marvel movie so it should be completely different and fun. Next up we discuss how Epic is possibly “stealing” personal data from Steam and the possible implications involved. That’s right, Bill Gates has warned of the arrogance of software developers/studios etc catching the attention of governments and here is a prime example. This is right on the heels of Google being fined by the European Union again. We also hear about a possible link between Epic and the Chinese government from the Professor; who also raises the question of who is stealing the data. Last topic of the week is the break-through in Quantum Physics that will see a need for new textbooks to be printed. The best part about it is that some of the people involved are from Brisbane. That’s right folks, roll up and admire the great minds delving into physics and shaking the world from Brisbane. Remember to take care of each other and stay hydrated, till next time, stay Nerdy.

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Millicent Patrick, Mad Max & PS5

This episode we have an amazing guest re-joining us, the fantastic Shaun from Comics2Movies and XCT. So you know straight up it is going to be a great show! Also the DJ is on fire this week and makes us laugh till we cry. We begin with a look at an upcoming book release that is the biography of Milicent Patrick, the lady who designed the creature from the Black Lagoon. She has an amazing story that is sure to inspire many of us. It also looks at the harassment she faced and the ongoing issues in Hollywood today. Also discussed is the reaction of various law enforcement agencies in response to undesirable behaviours such as cyber-bullying. The topic is the 40th anniversary of Mad Max! That’s right the original movie that created a legend is 40 years old. There was a party in Victoria to celebrate with fans even coming from America. Of course this means we have to discuss the amazing films in the Mad Max franchise (even the recent Fury Road – which is suggested is not Mad Max, but you decide and let us know). Also this is when the DJ makes us laugh till we cry, listen out for it, believe me, it is amazingly funny. Next up is the Professor with some information about the PS5 and VR. Things are getting better with improved technology on the VR/AR front with arcades opening up around the place, but what is happening in the home? We then have the regular shoutouts, birthdays, and remembrances. Concluding with a chat about what Shaun is up to in terms of new projects to look forward to, so if you are planning on going to any of the comic conventions you will have to stop by and say G’Day, and check out what he has on offer. Particularly with his new graphic novels, so go along and check out his website and be amazed by the wondrous collection of artwork in the various comic books and graphic novels available for purchase alongside the extensive offering of various memorabilia there. So grab yourself a cup of tea and strap in for our latest instalment of Nerds Amalgamated.

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

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

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Episode 50: Home Robots, Uncharted & Linux

We hope everyone is staying safe, cool and well hydrated. Schools are going back soon so watch out for hordes of little people running around the place, so take care and avoid being mobbed by the rapscallions. First up we talk about robots with Washington State University revealing a new care assist robot that helps the elderly and others with remembering chores around the house. Also Spot from Boston Dynamics is planned to be released on the market, so if you want a really cool robot to help around the house there is an option. Next, we discuss the upcoming Uncharted movie ad how cool it is looking. Also is Tom Holland going to be able to play a young Drake in the movie?  Third topic of the week is the Linux sales and the problems it is having with games. We discuss some of the history of games and the need for another independent renaissance in gaming development. Hopefully with focus going back onto games being fun and enjoyable, like Duke Nukem was when it started or Wolfenstein. We have an interesting shoutouts segment with a new arrival at the Cincinnati Zoo, the hunk that is Jason Mamoa and some cool birthdays also. As always we hope you enjoy the episode and are happy to hear any comments, feedback, criticism or even just a hello; until next week, hooroo.

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