Give Us the Launch Codes

Tom interviews Jester, a retail employee who talks deeply about the rip-roaring world of retail! All the things you ever wanted to know about the people behind the shopping such as industry trends, stores in times of crises, and the emergence of self-checkout. Also, the web series Tom was referring to was IKEA Heights : https://youtu.be/y0_AVTnVljE?si=kTN1HdclsNVpmyno&t=152 Patreon: https://ww...

Tom and Travis have been sitting a couple of weeks on America's latest elephant in the room - the assassination of a prominent political figure - with hope that by the time they record this episode, they would be calm, controlled and nuanced. The results.... well, you'll be the judge. CORRECTIONS: 38:03: As you might have surmised afterwords, Travis meant to say “MLK” not “JFK”. However, anti-Cath...

Tom & Travis talk about the lack of hope among their peers - younger and older. Is the world getting worse? Can we do anything about it? If not, what can you do instead? Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/GiveUstheLaunchCodes Travis’ IG: @musicalnotextr

This week, Tom and I get a little more local (just a little, we promise) by talking about their state governor and God-help-us future President Gavin Newsom... and his glorious new congressional maps that Travis & Tom have to vote on come November. Watch as they lament being dealt a bad hand but also realizing that crying over a bad hand is a losing strategy. (And on a serious note, we recorde...

This week, Travis comes back from a two week vacation and he & Tom discuss the weeks he was away in a non-heavy, stream of consciousness conversation. Topics range from vapid sports talking heads to Lex Luthor to children's movies to rock band recommendations to Vegas being a soulless city. CORRECTIONS: Stephen A. Smith’s movie scene was actually in Creed III, not II. And the quote referred to...

BLAM! POW! BAM! Travis and Tom manage to stumble into both talking about military shooting things. One's a series of video games about shooting (among other forms of violence) Nazis with mechs. The other is a TV/Film franchise about the US military shooting at ancient aliens who built the pyramids! (Oh and it should be noted that Travis technically didn’t give an answer when asked, “Do you like ki...

Thomas & Travis found an ORIGINAL Hollywood movie that did well at the box office. This inspires them to talk about not just the movie in question, but also about original movies, how they fair at the box office, and what can we do to get more of them again! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/GiveUstheLaunchCodes Travis’ IG: @musicalnotextr Clips Cited Armageddon , Audio commentary by Ben Affl...

How do you do, fellow zoomers? Travis and Tom bring on returning guest, Travis's wife Denise, to talk about FX's new comedy about young twentysomethings living in New York City (gee, this sounds familiar). Is this the voice of the current generation? Is this the next Friends ? Is it even good??? Or is this just another item in the streaming pile? And coming up - what's wrong with TV today and othe...

Episode Description Lights! Camera! STREAM! This episode, Travis talks to Twitch streamer Matt Prince, who also doubles as a Broadcast Engineer for live television broadcasts and online streams - such as the news, sports, and showcasing really fast aircraft,,, while also playing Nintendo games in front of the world wide web! Travis and Matt get down and dirty with the details like how instant repl...

CW: Explicit references to sexual assault, particularly against children. This week, Travis and Tom go into the uncomfortable implications of Trump PROBABLY BUT ALLEGEDLY being complicit in the same sex crimes Jeffrey Epstein was indicted for and is probably covering up. Being so obvious in said cover-up, Trump - who once drove Travis away from faith in conspiracy theories due to his incompetence...

A very brief break from the doldrums of the modern world to talk about martial arts. Travis interviews his Black Belt brother in-law, James, as they talk about Karate - how it's life changing, how effective he is in self-defense, different types of martial arts, and what Hollywood gets right and wrong. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/GiveUstheLaunchCodes Travis Instagram: @musicalnotextr

The Big Bill. Everybody's talking about it (if they're not otherwise talking about Epstein)! Travis and Tom talk about how we got to the point where the government is actively trying to f*** over people and how we can crawl out of this. Perhaps a mayoral-hopeful in New York can provide the answer...? Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/GiveUstheLaunchCodes Travis’ IG: @musicalnotextr Clips Cited Go...

It's that time again when Tom and Travis talk about entertainment that neither has seen (or played). This time, Tom talks about a video game that everyone else and their mothers have heard of whether they wanted to or not - the zombie game with the tall sexy vampire lady! And Travis brings up another 90s hidden TV gem - a space opera set on a space station with actors wearing a lot of latex (thoug...

Tom's got a buddy who used to be a chef at a fine dining restaurant. You know, kinda like Remy the Rat without the fur. Or Carmy Berzatto without being a depressed control freak (hopefully). What is working at a restaurant truly like? How do restaurants work? Is Olive Garden "fine dining"? Is a steakhouse worth your money? Do you think you'll tip your waitresses and hosts better after listening to...

Just to be clear, the "F-word" in question is "freedom". What is freedom? You hear it a lot in this country. You're gonna hear used insufferably come Independence Day. But what does it really mean? And - dare we ask - does freedom actually exist in the so-called "free world???" Clips Used: “Obama: George W. Bush Believed in “Rule of Law” (He Didn’t).” YouTube , uploaded by Secular Talk, 25 June 20...

Tom & Travis spill their Catholic traumas as they discuss what religion means to them, as a broader quest to solve the religion question ONCE AND FOR ALL! Will the Almighty approve? Only He can answer.... Clips Used: Full Metal Jacket , directed by Stanley Kubrick, performance by R. Lee Ermey, Warner Bros., 1981 History of the World, Part I , directed by Mel Brooks, performances by Mel Brooks...

SPOILER ALERT! Tom and Travis discuss the The Last of Us - the video games and the first two seasons of the TV show. As the two have wildly differing opinions on the subject, their complicated discussion also touches upon the state of the film industry, online "criticism", and rehashing a decade long debate as to how a certain video game ends. Shoutout to theRadBrad: https://www.youtube.com/user/t...

Travis and Tom are back in the car again, which means the audio is gonna be wonky AF. This week, they talk about movies and TV shows with messages, commentary, and warnings for human civilization... and why we dumb humans never learn. CORRECTIONS: John Hughes did not direct WarGames . John Badham ( Saturday Night Fever ) was responsible for that one. Big Hero 6 was not made by Pixar. Disney Animat...

OUR FIRST INTERVIEW EVER! Travis invites his wife, Denise - a professional nurse - to talk healthcare. Here, Denise explains what a nurse is (bet you can't answer that if you tried), what the difference is between a nurse and a doctor, what it's really like to work in a hospital, what TV gets wrong about hospitals and nurses, and so much more. Be prepared to have myths and misconceptions dispelled...

Have you ever heard that song that you've heard way too much? Tom and Travis (but moreso Tom) attempt to dissect this by just listing off songs they're tired of listening too. In addition to the expected bitching and whining, get ready to also hear them sing some of these tunes. Results may vary. Clips Cited The Other Guys . Directed by Adam McKay, performances by Dwayne Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson...

It's Tom's term to dictate his own presidency and his list gets a bit more spicy! Expect a lot more debate, discussion, and about 20 extra minutes in the conclusion of our little thought experiment. Clips Cited Captain Philips , directed by Paul Greengrass, performances by Barkhad Abdi & Tom Hanks, Columbia Pictures, 2013.

Travis and Tom love their mommies so much they made their longest episode yet about the mommies they watch on TV - the good, the bad, and the so-ugly-it's-best-not-to-go-into-it! It's so damn long, we couldn't even get this episode out BEFORE Mother's Day. Shame. TV Shows Discussed 1883 Abbott Elementary Atypical Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009) Bob’s Burgers Breaking Bad Caillou Drake & Josh...

Boy the poop really hit the propeller for April, didn't it? Poor Travis & Tom induce depression into themselves as they struggle to sum up what the month was - including a constitutional crisis involving due process and deportations, a reckless trade war, an insane man who had literal brain worms trying to get the government to persecute people with autism, and a papal vacancy. And they foolis...

A month behind on the news yet again! Remember when Trump wanted to annex Greenland? Remember Mahmoud Khalil? Remember the tariffs (oh wait!). Tom and Travis recorded this back in the end of March - in Tom's car no less for some reason - and we couldn't figure out a good slate for it. Hope you still enjoy it anyway. Maybe it will provide you with great nostalgia! Clips Cited Gangs of New York. Dir...

Time to interrogate the actual title of those whole series. Travis breaks it down for Tom his wishlist were he to become President of the United States. (Don't worry, Tom will do his next week). Get ready for a wonky Top 10 Policy list that Travis is sure to change his mind on the week after this comes out! CORRECTION: The formal name for the “Invade The Hague Act” is called the American Service-M...