Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the evils of web trackers and analytics. They are used almost exclusively to feed the ad industry and you should block them wherever possible. Rym has installed the microcode patch for some Intel chips and you should too if you have one of them. In the news, Microsoft is moving to a security-first posture, nostalg…

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

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Friends vs Friends. It's a fantastic quick arena-duel FPS with cards. It evokes the feeling of playing weird mods against your friends online in 1998. In the news, PAX Unplugged is December 6-8, the keynote speaker is Elizabeth Hargrave (of Wingspan fame), "hard mode" is a great way to frame handicapping in games, M…

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

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

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

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Four Swords, which was released in 2002 on the GBA as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Four Swords. It's basically a tech demo/proof of concept for the real game released on the Gamecube which we reviewed back in 2009. You can play it online with friends on the Switch, and you probably should. In the news…

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

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

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

Tonight on GeekNights, we review the anime version of Ōoku: The Inner Chambers from 2023. In the news, the Lupin III Kabuki Stage Play streams live with English subtitles on August 11 and Dandadan is opening in theaters on September 13th. Related Links Forum Thread Ōoku: The Inner Chambers (2023 Anime) Discord Chat Ōoku: The Inner Chambers (2023 An…

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

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

Tonight on GeekNights, it's a Tech News Roundup! Mouse movers are getting people fired but are also a sign of late stage capitalism, social media is messing up the kids, don't operate your i9 at turbo voltages when it's overheating, Adobe is mostly wrong here but also read what you buy, this is a good car that will never reach the US, data breaches…

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Animal Well. It's a beautiful and well made metroidvania. In the news, Civilization 7 is coming and Blades in the Dark is fantastic from session zero to terminal endgame. Related Links Forum Thread Animal Well (2024) Discord Chat Animal Well (2024) Things of the Day Rym - Don't touch AM transmitter towers Scott - Pr…

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

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

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

Tonight on GeekNights we talk about when technology fails. Dead PSUs, dead hard drives, and the like. In the news, there is a vulnerability in practically all VPNs and Tesla is firing everybody after they fired a bunch of people. Related Links Forum Thread Technology Failures Discord Chat Technology Failures Things of the Day Rym - Why Stomping Wig…

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider how to ruin your competitive card game. Scott shares the original Sins of CCG design. This is all in the context of Marvel SNAP. In the news, the Rangers sweep the Capitals, Square Enix reported extraordinary losses, Dave & Buster's introduces real money gambling, and Fallout games don't work on modern PCs. Relate…

Tonight on GeekNights, we review the delightful Pokémon Concierge on Netflix. In the news, Dungeon Meshi grows a plot if you watch past the first bit, Chinese Indie Feature Art College 1994 is in theaters this Friday, and Tonari no Yokai-san looks super cute. Related Links Forum Thread Pokémon Concierge Discord Chat Pokémon Concierge Things of the …

Tonight on GeekNights we consider what A New TV in 2024 looks like. In the news, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway, GameCube and Wii emulators won't work on iOS due to Apple's ban on just-in-time compilation, and Meta really makes money from all the data they collect about you. Related Links Forum Thread A New TV in 2024 Discord Chat A New TV i…

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Klask. It's a well-designed extremely fun tabletop sport adjacent to but significantly distinct from Air Hockey. In the news, the Rangers are number one in the NHL, the Coyotes are moving to Salt Lake City, and Visions of Mana has quite the trailer. Also if you ever need to help out an injured pigeon in New York Cit…

Tonight on GeekNights, we review The Orbital Children. It's an excellent short hard science fiction show written and directed by Mitsuo Iso. In the news, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM is in theaters May 7-8 and somebody bought Superman again. Related Links Forum Thread The Orbital Children (2022) Discord Chat The Orbital Children (2022) Things of…

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the nature of the Easter Egg. They're good for society. In the news, the mayor of New York lost a duel, and it's not just you. Related Links Forum Thread Easter Eggs Discord Chat Easter Eggs Things of the Day Rym - So THAT'S where Bugs Bunny got it from! Scott - Sweet Home (1989) [Full Film, Domesday Capture, Subb…

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Balatro (2024). From LocalThunk and published by Playstack, it's a roguelike deckbuilder in the vein of Slay the Spire, but in Video Poker. It's good. In the news, PAX East was all right but it's still a ghost town when the expo hall closes, the Rangers are top of the NHL coming into the playoffs, and you may not ha…

Tonight on GeekNights, with Rym back from the plague and Scott back from PAX, we review the hot new anime Delicious in Dungeon (Dungeon Meshi / ダンジョン飯). From Studio Trigger, it's part light fantasy part cooking show. It's worth your watch. In the news, The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story dropped in partnership with the Kevin Love Fund and two l…

Tonight on GeekNights, we review the fantastic Robot Dreams, a Spanish-French animated tragicomedy was saw at the New York International Children's Film Festival. It has no dialog and you will remember the 21st night of September. In the news, Akira Toriyama has died, and the creator of X-Men 97 has been fired. Related Links Forum Thread Robot Drea…

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the ramifications of a ridiculous Texas law being argued before the Supreme Court, and its ramifications for the imperfect but valuable Section 230. In the news, A lot of Redditors hate the Reddit IPO, Reddit is selling your data to Google for AI training, and Reddit admitted that your moderator protests are worki…

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss noodles. In the news, Alabama Republicans decide that embryos are literally children with extreme and harmful legal consequences, and Fubo has raised an antitrust suit against the coming massive sports streaming consolidation. Related Links Forum Thread Noodles Discord Chat Noodles Things of the Day Rym - Which is …

Tonight on GeekNights, having previously talked about Cheating we now consider Anti-Cheat. How do you prevent cheating? In the news, the Nintendo Direct is Feb 21 but the Switch 2 is likely 2025, and Helldivers 2's ugly anti-cheat in a PvE game leaves a bad taste in our mouths. Related Links Forum Thread Anti-Cheat Discord Chat Anti-Cheat Things of…

Tonight on GeekNights, we review the first season of Castlevania: Nocturne. If you enjoyed the first show then your vampire cup overfloweth. In the news, PAX has an official Discord and Bong Joon Ho is working on a new animated film about deep sea creatures. Related Links Forum Thread Castlevania: Nocturne Discord Chat Castlevania: Nocturne Things …

Tonight on GeekNights, 18 years after Rym tried to switch to Mac, Scott switches to Mac. (Except for gaming). In the news, Rym is building a new primary workstation,, Tim Sweeney calls out Apple's "malicious compliance" in light of The Digital Markets Act, and the Superb Owl went to overtime. Related Links Forum Thread Scott Switches to Mac Discord…

Tonight on GeekNights, after talking about people who use their phones in public at full speaker volume, we review the fantastic convention that was Super MAGFest 2024. We previously covered the games of this MAGFest in MIVs. In the news, the Superb Owl is the least interesting it's ever been, and late capitalism claims another digital victim. Rela…

Tonight on GeekNights, we riff on some of the ideas we're exploring for our new talk for PAX East 2024: All Games are the Same Game. Turns out you can factorize games into other games. Also we're back after Rym was gone skiing for a week. In the news, the Logitech G PRO X wireless headset is all right, it turns out US presidents aren't immune to al…

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss the extremely good games we played at MAGFest 2024, which itself was possibly the best MAGFest that has ever happened to date. Particularly, the MAGFest Indie Videogame Showcase (MIVS) and a shout-out to Nothing Good Can Come of This. In the news, Palworld surged onto the scene with massive sales and weird controve…

Tonight on GeekNights, we review the year 2023. Sort of a personal retrospective. In the news, Donald Trump argues in court that a president has the right to assassinate their enemies, and 2023 was the hottest year in human history, Related Links Forum Thread 2023 (2023) Discord Chat 2023 (2023) Things of the Day Rym - Adults giving you directions …

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Whale Street. It is a solid concept, combining the stock/operating round structure of an 18xx game with poker hand mechanics, but it doesn't quite stick the landing on execution. In the news, Wizards of the Coast has an AI art problem, and Free to Play games like Overwatch and Marvel Snap have a new card/character p…

Tonight on GeekNights, we review several anime, cartoons, and comics that only one of us has experienced. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Chainsaw Man, Hilda, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus, and Twins in Paradise. In the news, Mickey Mouse has actually for-real entered the public domain and Disney is facing a huge internal power struggle…

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Lethal Company from Zeekerss. Rym tried out that Zelda 2 remix. In the news, Nintendo killed the Wii U and 3DS servers early, and Valve banned people who deserved it in a fantastic way. Related Links Forum Thread Lethal Company (2023) Discord Chat Lethal Company (2023) Things of the Day Rym - Disco Elysium | Pixel A…

Tonight on GeekNights we review Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron (How Do You Live? / 君たちはどう生きるか). In the news, the final season of Hilda is live, and Scott has a low opinion of LAX. Related Links Forum Thread The Boy and the Heron (2023) Discord Chat The Boy and the Heron (2023) Things of the Day Rym - PUNCH PUNCH FOREVER! Scott - Haunted Mir…

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss the vicious smartphone upgrade cycle. Try to use your phone for more than a year or two at least. In the news, Apple has to halt new Apple Watch sales, Adobe gives up on buying Figma, and Scott had fun on the Star Wars ride at Disneyland. Related Links Forum Thread The Smartphone Upgrade Cycle Discord Chat The Smar…

Tonight on GeekNights we review Ahoy (2022). In the news, kids want Robux for Christmas, ByteDance is restructuring Nuverse in a "retreat" from gaming, and Nintendo has to make an 18+ version of the N64 app. Related Links Forum Thread Ahoy (2022) Discord Chat Ahoy (2022) Things of the Day Rym - 2017 Ohio State Drum Major Tryouts Scott - No-Bullshit…

Tonight on GeekNights, against the backdrop of ongoing tech layoffs we talk about layoffs. (No, neither of us has been laid off). In the news, New York's Clean Slate Act is good news for millions of people trying to get their lives back together, Apple shocks the world by adopting RCS, and Related Links Forum Thread Layoffs Discord Chat Layoffs Thi…

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Cobalt Core. It's a cross between Slay the Spire and FTL, taking the best aspects of both. It's also super cute. In the news, the Pickleball people are facing increasing drama, and it's good to "cheat" at Pokémon. We also make fun of AMD for a while. Related Links Forum Thread Cobalt Core Discord Chat Cobalt Core Th…

Tonight on GeekNights, Rym and Emily review Star Trek: Lower Decks. Based in part on the high concept TNG episode Lower Decks, it's worth your watch. If you've never seen any Star Trek before, perhaps try the first episode of this and the first episode of Strange New Worlds to see if it's your cup of tea.…

Tonight on the 18th anniversary of the first episode of GeekNights, we review The Jackbox Party Pack 10. It's got the streamlined TKO 2 and a trivia game that's like the ones we like. In the news, Rym keeps playing Overwatch, Super Mario Wonder is good fun, and Deltarune 3 and 4 will come out sooner than anticipated. Related Links Forum Thread The …

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider scams. In the news, the first malaria vaccine slashes early childhood mortality, Hookworms used to ravage the southern United States, the statue of the traitor was melted into slag, and Travis Dermott singlehandedly forced the NHL to change a terrible policy. Related Links Forum Thread Scams Things of the Day Rym …

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the the idea of remote access. In the news, here's a list of all the tech layoffs so far in 2023, and Twitch changes its simulcasting guidelines. Related Links Forum Thread Remote Access Things of the Day Rym - Star Trek + Design Scott - HomewardBy Rym and Scott - The Front Row Crew

Tonight on GeekNights we are back with a new web site! In the news, there is tragic war in Israel and Palestine, the House is paralyzed by Republican incompetence, Twitter has destroyed itself in a way that requires us to invoke the "Jack Thompson Rule," and Apple makes a minor change to podcast downloads. Related Links Forum Thread GeekNights Thur…