The Download's tracks

This week the word is travel. Keith talks about his recent trip to back to NY to visit his aging mother, and what airports and flights are like in the post-covid world. Then he reports on things back home in Portland, where the wildfires have filled the air with toxic smoke. Going back to travel, they take about how lack of travel has affected the these past six months. Turning to media, Andy talk...

This week the word is wizard. First the nerds discuss their favorite wizards at length, which leads to them both sharing stories from their early LARP game experiences. Then they talk about Bill and Ted Face the Music without getting too spoilery. Lastly, Keith gives some high-level thoughts about Doom Patrol season 2 and the first 3 episodes of Lovecraft Country. BLOOPER WARNING: contains blooper...

This week the word is malinger. First the guys discuss what the word actually means, then they share memories of malingering, including the time Keith when was trapped in a closet while staying home from school. Next they discuss the 3rd episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks. Keith talks about work stuff and games he’s playing, and the challenge of making Bingo cards for Lovecraft Country. Then Andy t...

This week the word is game. The nerds discuss the technical definition of a game vs. various unusual games and play activities. Is it a game or just collaborative story-telling experience? They also discuss their own preferences in games, strategy vs. tactical games, etc. Then they lower the spoiler curtain to discuss the first two episodes of Star Trek Lower Decks, the first episode of Lovecraft...

This week the word is Coffeeshop. Topics include Amsterdam Coffeeshops, sandwiches on How I Met Your Mother, shows where a lot of action takes place in a coffeeshop, Andy’s favorite painting, 3rd Space Places, fluffer-nutters with chocolate chips, and that time when John called Andy late at night and said “Meet me at Denny’s.” Then the nerds talk about work stuff, energy vampires living next door,...

This week the word is Sandwiches. The nerds talk about the technical definition of a sandwich, how they approach the eating of a sandwich, viewpoints on crust, etc. Other topics include pie, Hamilton, and the history of the Colossal Cave adventure game. Then they resume their in-depth discussions of the book, Life’s Lottery. SPOILER WARNING: contains book spoilers.

This week the word is Loop. The nerds talk about various stories in which characters relive the same day, including Groundhog Day, 12:01, Edge of Tomorrow, and, after lowering the spoiler curtain, Palm Springs and Russian Doll. They also continue their discussions of the book, Life’s Lottery. SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.

This week the word is Memory. The nerds talk about various tropes in media and gaming that involve having your memory wiped. Then they get into a big discussion about the book, Life’s Lottery. Lastly, the discuss the season two finale of Homecoming and another new Twilight Zone episode. SPOILER WARNING: contains lotsa spoilers.

This week the word is PublicDomain. The nerds talk about various aspects of Intellectual Property law, in particular discussing how a court ruling has affected portrayals of Sherlock Holmes. They also talk about Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, and touch on work stuff, before bringing down the spoiler curtain to discuss the book, Life’s Lottery, and second season episodes of Homecoming and the Twiligh...

This week the word is unfinished. The nerds talk about various stories that don’t have endings vs those with neatly tied-up endings, and how some projects are better left unfinished. Then they discuss Keith’s tombstone story from episode 148, since this show was actually recorded on the infamous date of June 23, 2020. Then Andy talks about having just watched Dunkirk, which Keith talked about in e...

This week the word is changes. First they talk about how the Romulans were changed to be the Klingons during the development of Star Trek 3, and other ways in which key elements of on-going story franchises have changed and evolved over time. Keith talks about how changes to the way werewolfism was dealt with in the rules to D&D impacted the design of Eberron. Other topics they mention include Lif...

This week the word is chess. The nerds share memories of chess games, stories about the chess master Paul Morphy, chess themed games they’ve each worked on, and even the musical called Chess. Then they lower the vintage spoiler curtain to discuss Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier at length. SPOILER WARNING: contains vintage spoilers.

This week the word is binge. The nerds talk about the pros and cons of binge-watching vs. taking new episodes one at a time. Then they touch base on their work projects before moving on to media. They discuss the first episode or two of Upload, Space Force, and season 2 of Homecoming. Then they lower the vintage spoiler curtain to discuss Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home at length. VINTAGE SPOILER WAR...

Blurb: This week the word is change. The nerds talk about how the world has changed because of the current crisis, and about change in general. Moving on to media, they discuss a variety of different shows they’ve recently started watching, or re-watching. Lastly, they lower the vintage spoiler curtain to discuss Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock at length. SPOILER WARNING: contains vintage spoile...

This week the word is Khaaaan! The nerds start by discussing genetically-altered characters in Star Trek and other shows. Then they discuss random other topics, including the most recent season of Survivor, germs on cakes, voting by mail, and bags of holding. After the spoiler curtain they discuss The Wrath of Khan at great length, having both just done a re-watch. They also recap season 3 of West...

This week the word is cake. Andy talks about a new cake recipe he’s excited about because it uses up the egg yolks you have left over when you make an angel food cake. Other cake related topics include ice cream cake, cake vs pie, references to cake in media and common expressions, and comedians who talk about cake. Then they spend most of the show discussing Star Trek: The Motion Picture at great...

This week the word is spoilers. The nerds discuss the merits of not shielding oneself from spoilers, and Keith breaks down the 3 different types of spoiler situations. They try to avoid spoiling the stories they discuss, but sometimes it’s a spoiler just to know that something has a big twist, so this episode is very spoilery, and this blurb isn’t going to call out the specifics of the media they...

This week the word is puzzles. They start by discussing jigsaw puzzles, then extend the conversation to all types of puzzle-solving. Topics include role-playing games with puzzle elements, difficulties in designing puzzles, and stories from Magnet and early LARPS. Andy talks about a couple of vintage board games that feature jigsaw puzzle elements. At the very end they spend a few minutes discussi...

This week the word is 23. Keith explains why 23 is his favorite number, and the nerds reminisce about what they were each doing when they were 23 years old. Andy tells the story of how he got hired at NASA, and what it was like working for the Hubble Space Telescope. Then Andy spends a lot of time talking about Battlefield Earth, after which he mentions a few things that will be changing in the ne...

This week the word is chocolate. The nerds have a lot to say on this subject. They each inventory all of the chocolate they currently have in the house, they debate issues like milk vs. dark, brand preferences, combining chocolate with peanut butter, the recent surge in salted chocolate, and otherwise carry on about chocolate for more than half of the show. Then they lower the spoiler curtain to d...

This week the word is apocalypse. The guys discuss their favorite apocalypse scenarios, including zombies, nuclear attacks, pandemics, giant monsters, meteor impacts, and alien invasions. Their talk naturally turns to the current lockdown. Then they lower the spoiler curtain to discuss the Picard season 1 finale at great length, along with Brooklyn Nine Nine and Westworld. SPOILER WARNING: contain...

This week the word is still hunkering, since the nerds and everyone else are still self-quarantining. They spend a lot of time talking about how the hunkering has been affecting everyone so far. They talk about games they’ve been playing while hunkering including Name One, Number 9, and Azul. Other topics they discuss include the word interesting, the price of donuts, Jeopardy. Brooklyn Nine-Nine,...

This week the word is Hunker, since the nerds are self-quarantining after returning from nerdy cruises. Andy shares stories from the Star Trek Cruise, and Keith talks about the JoCo Cruise. Then they talk a little about game design stuff before lowering the spoiler curtain to discuss Star Trek: Picard. SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.

This week the word is holodeck. The nerds discuss various implications of holodeck technology, as well as replicators and universal translators. Andy reports on Toy Fair, and Keith talks about playing Villainous for the first time. He also talks about playing Magic for the first time in a while. After the spoiler warning, they discuss episode 5 of Star Trek: Picard, and how modern Trek differs fro...

This week the word is potato. The nerds spend a lot of time debating various forms of potatoes, mostly french fries, regarding which Keith has an interesting policy of limitation. They talk about Andy’s new Kickstarter, for Pyramid Quartet. Andy talks about a trip he took to Colorado and describes playing Captain Sonar. After the spoiler warning, they discuss Locke & Key, The Goldbergs, and episod...