GeekNights

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about the cartoons we're watching and the comics we're reading right now. Pretty Pretty Please I Don't Want to be a Magical Girl , Goodbye, Lara , Cyberpunk: Edgerunners , SWARM of Wasps & Monsters , Space Battleship Yamato , The Legend of Kamui , Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia , and Billy Bat . In the news, the fan convention world is consolidating in a dangerous...

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about robots . Real ones from the real world: not movie robots. In the news, Igor has tasted blood , the Meta pervert glasses are getting regulated in Norway , and do not give Meta's Muse thing your credit cards. Related Links Forum Thread Robots Discord Chat Robots Bluesky Post Robots Things of the Day Rym -  Salman Rushdie on Candide: Where to Begin Scott...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the topic of convention drama. It takes many forms. Attendee vs Attendee. Attendee vs Convention. Convention vs Convention. Convention vs Nature. Convention vs Itself. In the news, Malaria is at Frankfurt Airport , never ever pull the emergency brake on a train, the new Resident Evil movie might be good , and the Transformers movie is in theaters again . Related...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review The Old Prince 1871 . It's an 18xx game, and you can play an alpha implementation at 18xx.games . It's a good one, designed by Lucas Boyd. We've previously reviewed 1817 , 1889: History of Shikoku Railways , and 1846: The Race for the Midwest : you know we love a good train game. In the news, the Steam Frame is finally here , Nintendo has a big sale , and the Ninte...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Common Side Effects . It's got a lot going on and is worth watching: it's only 10 episodes and evokes aspects of Fargo TV. In the news, Ghost in the Shell continues to be fantastic as it follows the original manga, Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia is phenomenal, and Goodbye, Lara is absolutely worth watch as a re-take on The Little Mermaid. Also, the discourse around...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider e-bikes, e-scooters, monowheels, and all the assorted electric conveyances that aren't cares and that are becoming more and more popular everywhere there are people. E.g., what are the "classes" of ebikes? In the news, streamers are suing Twitch and Amazon for their opt-out AI model training, 404 tracked down the "rare book" AI training story, and the Steam Frame...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the humble Board Game Night. Many of you host (or try to host) them. Some of them are public. Many are haunted by that guy. In the news, Big Walk is out, you can play The Old Prince at 18xx.games right now, and Rockstar Games is an evil union-busting company and it's going to court soon . Related Links Forum Thread Board Game Night Discord Chat Board Game Night B...

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss data centers . Once as positive thing, they have become a blight on the Earth in the ever-growing wake of the AI bubble. Rym and Emily are back from Cedar Point and will have a couple of special episodes about it in the near future, and also have a secret VR project that's slightly less secret than it was before. In the news, the AI slop factory wants help flaggin...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review The Ghost in the Shell (2026) animated by Science Saru . It's the original manga faithfully animated with a lot of style. In the news, The Last Blossom (HOUSENKA) will be in North American theaters for two nights , and Crunchyroll is destroying their own store (RIP Right Stuf). Related Links Forum Thread The Ghost in the Shell (2026) Discord Chat The Ghost in the S...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the growing trend of seeking retro technology. From the Charmera to flip phones to audio cassettes, it's part aesthetic and part anti-consumerist anti-capitalist pushback to the ravages of modernity. In the news, Mamdani announces new Click-to-Cancel rule for New York City , workers in Acklam discover Medlar fruit trees (also known as dog's arse ), and no technol...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider ice cream . In the news, DUNC 3 has a trailer , ICE appears to have covered up another brazen murder this time in Houston Texas, and the situation in Russia is destabilizing in a way that evokes 1917 . Related Links Forum Thread Ice Cream Discord Chat Ice Cream Bluesky Post Ice Cream Things of the Day Rym -  A short comic about Lenny Scott - ...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the game of Association Football . More commonly known as soccer, it's a game of high drama , clever play , and FIFA corruption that is cemented in societal and cultural history. In the news, a Manhattan skyscraper is collapsing , XBOX is collapsing , YOASOBI x Overwatch slaps, and the new Ghost in the Shell slaps. Related Links Forum Thread Association Football...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake . It's a fantastic continuation of Adventure Time, which we reviewed in 2013 , reviewed again in 2014 , shared our final thoughts in 2019 , reviewed Distant Lands - BMO in 2020, and Distant Lands - Obsidian also in 2020. It's also deeply metacontextual . In the news, Science Saru is bringing us Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia , the L...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the current state and evolution of bicycle technology. Not all advancement in modernity is "good" advancement. In the news, delivery robots are a menace , the illegitimate and fully compromised Supreme Court's broken clock was correct on geofence warrants , climate change is killing us , and AI slop music should be demonetized . Related Links Forum Thread Bicycle...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Mina the Hollower (2026) . It's fantastic, evoking the feeling of old NES games but with modern design sensibilities. In the news, the Steam Machine is actually here and still a reasonable price (considering the unreasonable pressure the AI bubble is putting on computer components), Civ VII added hotseat multiplayer, and Deltarune chapter 5 drops TOMORROW . Related...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the challenge of company-managed devices. In the news, Britain has banned the kids from all social media , Nvidia is issuing $25 Billion in corporate bonds , and Verizon screwed a guy over with MDM . Related Links Forum Thread Company Devices Discord Chat Company Devices Bluesky Post Company Devices Things of the Day Rym -  Jinxxy Scott -  Ant...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider museums we've been to. In the news, XBOX is in trouble , and the GOP's incompetence killed FISA . Also the MoMA Design Store (not an ad). Related Links Forum Thread Museums Discord Chat Museums Bluesky Post Museums Things of the Day Rym -  Uncursing Money Scott -  programming a gba game on an iphone

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider what happens when one chases the meta. This is especially a problem when competitive and casual players mix and is the topic of several GeekNights lectures . In the news, Furality was phenomenal this year, and the Nintendo Direct was underwhelming. Related Links Forum Thread Chasing the Meta Discord Chat Chasing the Meta Bluesky Post Chasing the Meta Things of th...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the evil cameras all around us. In the news, Nvidia introduces an underwhelming chip to make underwhelming PCs , the US gestapo are trying to buy advertiser datasets in a dangerous escalation of the police state , and Furality is this weekend ! Related Links Forum Thread The Evil Cameras All Around Us Discord Chat The Evil Cameras All Around Us Bluesky Post The E...

Tonight on GeekNights we consider cinema. We both love movies, and have for our entire lives. In the news, the K-shaped economy means the Steam Deck is expensive and also sold out , chemical disasters are occurring in the US , Hawaii is using state power to fight back against the disastrous Citizens United ruling , and Delaware is doing the literal opposite . Related Links Forum Thread Cinema Disc...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider games where the numbers go up. Like Balatro or Slay the Spire or 9 Kings or Vampire Survivors . These games might intersect with deeper societal problems related to the signifier and the signified and the trap of hyperreality . In the news, the NAACP calls for a boycott of southern public school athletics due to their extreme gutting of voting rights , Ferrari la...

Tonight on the GeekNights Book Club, we discuss Ray Nayler's The Mountain in the Sea . Recommended by the staff at LIC Book Culture it's a cyberpunk novel about minds and consciousness (among other things). It's worth a read. Related Links Forum Thread The Mountain in the Sea Discord Chat The Mountain in the Sea Bluesky Post The Mountain in the Sea Things of the Day Rym -  ヨルシカ - あ...

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the problem of spam in the current era. We last talked about spam in 2007 . (Note that spam is distinct from slop . In the news, Rym is back from Hong Kong , supply chain attacks remain a major threat, the kids are booing AI people at graduations , Musk lost his lawsuit against OpenAI, deepfake software is getting better, and Meta is laying off 10% of its entire...

Tonight on GeekNights, we review The Running Man (2025) directed by Edgar Wright . This completes our full tour of the Runnings Man, as we previously reviewed the original Running Man novel from 1982 and the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger Running Man . There are no more men to run. Also look at the difference in mood between the 1987 ending credits and the 2025 ending credits . The latter seem like th...

Tonight on GeekNights, it's a Tech News Roundup! Madison Square Garden's insane surveillance machine , Github's ongoing collapse , Mac minis being hit by the ongoing RAM crisis , Ask.com is dead , a trivial-to-exploit Linux vulnerability , OpenAI won't stop talking about goblins , Apple fixes a notification vulnerability with Signal , iOS finally adds end-to-end encryption to RCS , AI slop podcast...