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Welcome back DeGINerates! Join along this week as the guys get together to put together the ultimate robot tier list! Who is the best fictional robot of all time? Will your favorite be ranked high? or maybe the guys will hate your favorite digital dude. Tune in to find out!
The concept of ownership is rapidly changing in our digital world, raising alarming questions about whether we truly own the technology we purchase. This episode dives deep into Nintendo's controversial Switch 2 terms of service, which grant them the power to render your console "permanently unusable" if you modify it in ways they don't approve. We explore the troubling implications of this shift toward a "rental society" where corporations maintain ultimate control over devices in your home.Amazon's latest venture into humanoid delivery robots highlights another technological frontier with far-reaching implications. After failed experiments with drones and sidewalk rovers, the e-commerce giant is developing human-like robots capable of carrying heavier loads and working longer hours than their human counterparts. We discuss whether this represents progress or a concerning step toward replacing human workers with AI-powered alternatives.The perils of AI misuse come into sharp focus as we examine how two major newspapers published completely fabricated book recommendations generated by artificial intelligence. This publishing blunder underscores the growing challenges of distinguishing between human and machine-created content in our increasingly AI-saturated media landscape.Our Gadgets and Gear segment showcases an innovative AI-powered cooking thermometer that promises to revolutionize your grilling experience, though not everyone on our panel is convinced of its advantages over existing technology. We also explore the fascinating history of educational technology with a look back at Texas Instruments' groundbreaking Speak and Spell from 1978.Between sips of bourbon and American single malt in our monthly whiskey tasting, we contemplate which fictional robot companion would make the ideal household assistant. Would you prefer R2-D2's sass or C-3PO's protocol expertise? Join us for this technology journey that will make you question who truly controls your digital future.Support the show
Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 5 More Chaos. Based on a post by CorruptingPower, in 25 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Chapter 14 It was a short drive into the community's center, a sort of tiny mini township surrounded by elaborate estates. Niko had insisted on driving, and it let Andy text both Phil and Eric that he was going to see the place, if they wanted to join him. Eric shot back that he'd be there within the hour, and Phil answered that his and his family were already there, having lunch at the diner. C'mon and join us said the text, just as Niko was pulling the Tesla into a parking spot in front of the 1950s themed diner. "I can't say I'm thrilled with the theme," Niko grumbled as she turned the car off. "But I guess I'll manage." "If they try and make you use a different drinking fountain, Niko, we'll raise hell," Andy said. "Damn straight," added Aisling. "Now let's go say hi to Phil and see how many women he has in tow." "More than he can handle, I'm sure," Andy chuckled. "He was barely okay with just Audrey." As soon as they got into the diner, it was relatively easy to spot Phil. Unlike diners of yore, where booths had typically held four at best, the interior of this particular 50s styled diner was lined with booths designed to fit as many as ten people each, with a few booths looking as though they could hold in upwards of 20. The booth Phil was in wasn't full, but he certainly had more people with him than the last time Andy had seen him. Sure, Audrey was there, snuggled right up against his side, but there were also two other women that Andy didn't recognize, a fit blonde woman with tightly cropped hair in camo and a curvy young black woman with her hair tightly braided. "Hey Phil," Andy said to him as he approached. "Audrey. You already know both Lauren and Aisling, but this is Niko. I know Niko's met Phil before, but I don't believe we've met your other two companions." "I've met one of them," Niko said, as she slid into the booth, offering half a salute to the blonde. "Captain." The blonde nodded in return. "Lieutenant. Hi Andy, I'm Linda, and this is Tamika," she said. "2nd Lieutenant Red Wolf and I are stationed together, although I suppose we're both stationed here now." Tamika seemed mostly interested in her cellphone, not even looking up to say hello. "Yeah, if you don't mind me asking, Captain, what are we going to do?" Niko said, scooting until she was right next to the captain. "They're moving all our work within the walls, so I guess we'll have a tiny base on site before month's end." "Roger that." "How you holding up, Phil?" Andy said, sliding in next to Niko, Aisling sliding in after him, Lauren moving in last. "I know you weren't originally planning on having multiple partners." "Well, the world's not up to what I want any more, Andy," he sighed. "But I'm making it work, even if I am a bit more tired than I used to be." "We had to set up a shift schedule of who gets intimacy time with Phil," Audrey said, giggling a little bit about it while poking Phil. "I'm surprised you haven't had to set something up like that." "Andy's learned that we keep his best interests in mind," Aisling laughed. "And we know about what his limits are, and rarely try and push him past them." "How's the new place?" Phil asked Andy, as Linda and Niko started having a quiet conversation with one another. "Bet it blew your mind when they drove you up there." "I still don't think I really need a mansion, Phil." "You say that now, but believe me, in about two week's time, you'll be thankful for all the room. There's going to be an influx of new partners quickly, as we're struggling to get as many people vaccinated as we can as quickly as we can, which means there isn't as much time as we'd like to let everyone get acclimated." "Mmm," Lauren sniffed. "The newest member of our family showed up just before we got here." "You sound unhappy, Lauren," Audrey said. "Well, she's my ex girlfriend who cheated on me, but we'll work it out, I guess." "Ouch. That sort of thing's not supposed to happen, but I suppose sometimes it slips through the cracks," Phil grumbled. "Everything's gotten so much harder to manage now that we're moving at warp speed. The death rate spiked on the east coast, and everybody freaked, so people who were hoping to get a later version of the vaccine without the, ah, side effects, are now practically storming the facilities, demanding to get injected with it, no matter what it does to them, as long as it protects them from the virus." "Yeah, I saw reports saying that a European company thinks they're close, but nobody's ready yet," Aisling said. "Are we shipping this vaccine anywhere else?" "Hell, Ash," Phil sighed, "we've barely got enough for the west coast right now. They're struggling to get more manufactured for the rest of the US, but we aren't in any state to be able to provide it to other countries right now." "I only ask for my brother back in Dublin. He desperately wants to leave the house, but I keep telling him, stay inside and stay safe." "That's all most people can do right now," Phil nodded. He glanced to the door and smiled. "Hey, look who's here! Slide into the bench, Eric." Eric had been standing in the doorway, with the familiar faces of both Lily and Jenny next to him, as well as a short, mousy Midwestern looking woman dressed in a giant t shirt, with denim shorts poking out from underneath them. "Hey everybody!" The new woman's name was Sarah, and she was Eric's new partner, only having arrived yesterday, so her head was still a little cloudy. When the waitress arrived to take their orders, the three households had been sure to divvy up the checks upfront. For the next couple of hours, everyone was trying to settle into their new normal. Andy, Phil and Eric got to talk in person, while all the women slowly started to figure out who out of each household they liked and wanted to avoid. It was a float of conversations, so many different discussions going at one point, that when Phil said he was going to step outside for a few minutes to vape up, Andy and Eric happily agreed to go with him, just so they could here each other clearly. "You holding up okay, Eric?" Andy asked. "You look a little overwhelmed." "Let's just say I'm a bit in social overload. That and trying to get settled in the new place is doing my head in." Eric leaned his back against the outside of the diner, stretching his arms over his head. "And I'm sore from all the fucking. And I miss the cats." "Why don't you guys come over next Saturday then, and we'll all hang out. Have ourselves a party like we used to. Any of the other members of the old gang getting moved into the complex?" Phil nodded. "Ari and his five women will be moved on site before the end of the week. He had plenty of space before, but when they offered him a free trade up, he didn't say no. Oh, and I don't know if you knew Jenna or not, but she's part of a family now, and they're being moved here next week, so a couple more people and the whole board game group will be back together again. We can play Ascension again, or poker, or both!" Eric nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that." "Cool. We'll consider it a party, then. Oh, hell. We can even make it a costume party for Halloween. I don't imagine we'll get much in the way of trick or treaters here." Phil waggled a finger at him. "You'll get trick or treaters, I'd bet on it. There's nearly a hundred children here in the village, so they'll make a point of hitting every house they possibly can." "All the better then." "So are you really doing okay with Lauren's ex being added to your household?" Phil asked. "I figured you might not have been able to speak your mind in front of her, so I thought I'd ask now that she can't hear." "It came as a bit of a shock, but we're making it work, I guess, or, rather, Lauren is," Andy said with a shrug. "I told Lauren that whatever she came up with, I'd go along with, whether that be sending her back to the Air Force or inviting her into the family. She, that is, Taylor, Lauren's ex, is being punished for what she did to Lauren before, but she'll eventually be allowed into the family, as per Lauren's decision." "Do I even want to ask how Lauren's punishing her?" Eric said with a laugh. Andy joined in the laugh. "You do not." He stopped, scrunched up his face, then smirked. "Well, you might, but let's just say don't fuck with the ladies of the Rook household. Payback is a,” "Hey!" Niko said, having just stuck her head out the door. "Get your asses back in here. They're bringing us desserts!" After a truly decadent sundae, everyone said their goodbyes, many of them excited about the prospect of a Halloween party, although a few of the girls complained that two days wasn't enough time to put together a proper costume. Everyone agreed they'd make it work, though. Phil and his family were heading home, while Eric and his family needed to go grocery shopping. Andy and the girls decided to walk around a little bit before heading home. In addition to the diner, there was a Safeway, a Target, a few restaurants (a Greek restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, and an Ike's Sandwiches), and, to Andy's personal delight, a bookstore, which they had to immediately stop in. It wasn't some chain book store, but clearly a local mom'n'pop establishment, and bore the mark of a highest quality bookstore, there was a cat living in the store. They decided to browse the bookstore for a little bit, and just before they were about to leave, the store clerk snuck up on him and asked for an autograph, which Andy gladly granted. The owner also asked if Andy would be kind enough to do a signing when the newest Druid Gunslinger book finally came out, and Andy was happy to acquiesce. They headed back to the house after that, with plans to come back tomorrow to get groceries. Andy felt exhilarated, being able to walk anywhere without a mask, being able to shake hands and hug friends. Barring the sea of gorgeous women around them, it had been nice to have a touch of normalcy. "Are you fully recovered from your time with the staff this morning, Andy?" Lauren asked him as they all walked from the garage into the house proper. "Yeah, I think I'm good to go. Why? You jonesing for a fix?" he said with a laugh. "We all are. And I want to show to Taylor what she's missing." She leaned down to kiss his cheek. "That okay?" "Sure, let me go check on Katie and Jenny and then I'll meet you ladies in the bedroom, okay?" "Don't take too long," Niko grinned. "We're, voracious today." "I won't, I won't," he laughed, waving his hand, hearing Lauren calling to Taylor like one would a pet as she walked towards the stairs. Andy moved to the pool house and poked his head in, finding Katie and Jenny still entwined together, asleep beneath the blanket he'd left them under several hours ago. He knew the imprinting process took several hours, but he'd never been sure exactly how long it took. He suspected the two might wake up in the middle of the night and head back to their room, but they'd be fine in the pool house if they slept there overnight, which was all Andy wanted to be sure of. He headed back into the house and walked upstairs. The door to the bedroom was closed, but a post it note on the door said "Cum in." He appreciated the pun, and opened the door. Inside, Taylor was on her knees at the foot of the bed, with Lauren's hand on the top of Taylor's head, Aisling and Niko sitting on either side of her. "Now, bitch, you're going to watch what a real man is like. Andy, come over here, would you?" All of the women had already stripped naked, so as Andy walked over, he kicked off his shoes, tugged off his socks and pulled his shirt up and over his head. When Andy neared the edge of the bed, Lauren raised a hand. "Stay there." She slid off the bed and moved to kneel in front of him, reaching her hands up to smooth them along his stomach before she reached over and pulled Taylor's hair to drag her close. "Here, I want you to get a front row seat to all of this, whore, but don't you dare stick out your tongue to sneak a taste, otherwise I'm doubling your time like this, you understand?" Taylor quietly nodded, as Lauren tugged Andy's jeans and boxers down, letting his cock slap her in the face with a girlish giggle. "That never gets old," Lauren said as Taylor let out a quiet little whimper. Lauren wrapped her mouth around the head of Andy's cock and then pushed her face all the way down until he could feel the tip of his cock sliding into her throat, Lauren trying hard to stifle the gag reaction before drawing back, taking a deep gasp of air. "You can smell my man's cock, can't you whore?" Taylor meekly nodded once more. "Don't even think about touching yourself. You're going to sit there and watch this. I want you to fucking drool, you want it so bad." Lauren started to push her face back down onto Andy's cock, and he was expecting a long, slow blowjob, but Lauren clearly had other ideas. She forced her face down until his balls were resting against her chin, then drew back suddenly before pushing her face down once again. It was fast and determined, and Andy almost jumped when he felt a hand cradling his nuts before realizing that Aisling had moved to one side of him, her fingertips holding onto his ballsack. "She was so apprehensive the first time, but look at her now," Ash whispered into his ear. Another hand reached to smooth along his hip, as Niko moved up along the other side of him, nibbling on his earlobe, her tongue lashing against his earlobe. "You're so going to be dead by the time we're done with you tonight, baby," Niko purred, curling her fingers to rake her fingernails against his hip. "You don't have to hold back, babes," Aisling giggled into his ear. "It's not gonna make us go any easier on you." Lauren's deep blue eyes peered up at him, and he glanced over at Taylor, whose eyes were fixated on Lauren's mouth thrusting up and down on his cock. It was an intoxicating sight, and Lauren's lips were clenched so tightly on his cock that he wasn't going to last long. Her cheeks caved in as she sucked hard on him, and before he knew it, his body was tensing up as he spewed a hot load of cum into Lauren's mouth. He was leaning back into the bodies of Aisling and Niko, who were keeping him from falling back, as Lauren finally drew her head back, her mouth full of his spunk, as she turned to show it to Taylor, who whined and whimpered, before Lauren closed her mouth and swallowed it all, licking her lips to make sure none of that treasure remained. He was a little surprised, because typically the girls liked to share a load, to ease all of their needs at least a little, but it seemed like the girls had other plans for today. "C'mon, you need to lay down now, Andy," Aisling said. "We're driving today." Andy let Aisling and Niko guide him over to the bed before he laid down on his back in the middle of the massive bed. Lauren had climbed off her knees, moving to help Taylor get up onto the bed, but immediately making sure she was on her knees off to the side of him, a good two or three feet of distance between them. Lauren then reached and grabbed one of the pillows, pulling it over, sliding it under Andy's head, as Aisling crawled on her hands and knees until she was looming over him. She moved to straddle his waist with a smirk, as she rubbed that fire furred snatch against his cock, sliding back and forth across it. "You're a good man, Andy Rook," Aisling said to him, "tolerating all the shit we're going to put this bitch through to make sure she's learned not to fuck with us." Niko slid along the far side of Andy and moved up along her knees until she was near enough to Aisling to grab the redhead's mane of hair, pulling her lips to press against her own, giving the other girl a ferocious kiss, tongues tangling with one another for a long moment, before breaking, giggling once more. "I can't tell who's more turned on by that, Andy, you or Lauren's fuckpet." Andy was about to answer, but Aisling had lined up his cock and thrust her hips down with a quick snap, stuffing his cock deep inside of her cunt, a sultry groan escaping his throat. "That's my fucking cock," Aisling moaned. "That's what I fucking wanted." Niko grinned, sliding one hand down to rub her thumb against Aisling's clit while the redhead bucked on his cock. "That's it. Show the fuckpet what a good slut looks like." She moved to kiss Aisling again, and this time the kiss was even more sloppy and sticky, tongues exposed as Ash bounced on his cock, thrusting down hard before drawing back up. Niko and Aisling continued making out while Andy, Lauren and Taylor all watched, but after a minute or so, Aisling reached down and grabbed Niko's hips, pulling her over until she was straddling Andy's face, and he knew what was being suggested, so he let his tongue stick out and began to lap at Niko's cunt, her hips grinding down onto his face, almost suffocating him, she was shoving against him so eagerly. "Fuck, Andy, lick my cunt while your first slut's bouncing on your cock, trying to milk your load out of you," Niko whimpered before kissing Aisling again. Aisling's pace was itchy, impatient. Other than the small amount of his spunk that she'd licked out of Nicolette's cunt yesterday, it had been almost five days since she'd gotten her fix. She'd decided to let off on her promise to milk a load from him every day when it turned out she was going to need to share with so many women, but now, Aisling knew it was her turn at bat, and as much as she was enjoying herself, she also wanted her fix, moaning whorishly into Niko's mouth. Lauren smirked a little bit, leaning in a bit closer. "I wouldn't keep your slut of a girlfriend waiting, Andy, otherwise she's likely to break this fucking bed. Look at her go, Taylor. She's already cum once, but I think she's about to do it again. Go on, daddy, give your good little whore her dose of spunk and blow her fucking mind when you blow in her fucking cunt. Do it, Andy! Cum in her!" He couldn't resist as he latched his lips on Niko's clit and buzzed them hard, his hands holding onto her hips as his back arched, pushing his cock towards Aisling's twat as much as he could, that orgasm blasting from him, firing shotgun sprays of hot cum into Aisling's cunt, setting off a third orgasm inside of the freckled Irish girl. When he finally started to come down from his orgasm, he slid his head down a little to see that Niko and Aisling were basically holding each other up in an upside V above him, a dry little chuckle rolling from his lips as Niko slowly moved to lower Aisling to one side, her body still going through aftershocks, trembling a bit in the afterglow of her orgasms. Andy's cock started to soften a little bit, even as Niko moved off of his face. "Oh no," Niko said to him. "You're not done yet." Andy sighed softly, letting out a heavy breath. "The mind is willing, Niko, but I don't know if the flesh is up to it." "Oh it will be," Niko said, a sly grin spreading on her lips. "Because today's the day." She crawled on her knees downward on the bed, reaching to stroke his cock. "This needs to get nice and hard for your little enlisted slut, Daddy. She has a need for it." "I'm telling you, Niko," Andy said. "I just don't know that I've got it in me to pump out a fourth load in a single day." "Sure you do," Niko purred. "Because today's the day I'm gonna take you in the ass." Andy's cock twitched, which made Niko smirk more broadly at him. "You haven't pressured, and I've been thinking about it every time Lauren or Ash does it. I kept wondering what kind of special day would be perfect to let you slide that thick cock of yours up my virginal asshole. Should it be an anniversary, or your birthday? But no, I wanna show off in front of the house pet. I wanna see her face when I take your fat cock up my untouched Asian asshole, wanna see that look of envy on her fucking face when I'm struggling to stretch and take you. Do I have to beg, Andy? Can you get hard so I can shove your cock in my perfect little asshole? So I can give you the last of my holes, so that you own every fucking inch of my body?" Andy's cock had already stiffened back to a full hard on, and Niko was slowly stroking it, a wild smile on her face. "Let me ride it, Daddy, so I can make sure I don't overwhelm myself, okay?" Andy nodded to her, as he saw Niko straddle his waist, but she was in reverse cowgirl, as she reached between her legs to grab his cock. "Fuck, I hope I'm fucking ready for this." "I came so hard my eyes rolled back into my head when I did it," Lauren said, moving to smooth a hand along one of Niko's thighs. "And you, Ash?" Niko said, lining the tip of his cock up against the pucker of her ass. "Oh, I squirted," Aisling giggled. "I'd never done that before, but it was so fucking intense. You're probably gonna cum just sliding it in." Niko's face frowned in amusement at Ash. "I somehow douo wow wow Oh Fuck!" she said, turning into a shout as the head of his cock popped inside of her tan asshole, Niko's whole body starting to spasm as Lauren and Aisling moved quickly to brace her and keep her steady so that she didn't overwhelm herself by dropping down onto his cock suddenly. He could feel Niko's entire body shivering atop of him for a good ten seconds or so before her voice pierced the air again. "Fuck., fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!" Niko finally panted out. "I think I just touched fucking God," she whimpered, her breathing shallow and ragged. "I don't, I don't, I don't know if,” Aisling smirked. "Silly slut. Never leave a job half done. Lauren?" she said, looking around Niko's body, as the tall blonde nodded, and both women started to push down on Niko's hips, forcing her to slowly take inch after inch of Andy's ruthlessly thick cock into her ass. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, that's such a fucking big cock in my ass, in my tight little virgin ass, oh fuck, oh fuck fuck fuck, I can't stop fucking cumming. Daddy, your little slut can't fucking stop fucking cumming from your big fucking cock up her tight young fucking ass oh fuck!" Just when she finally pushed down far enough for her asscheeks to rest against his hips, her body seized up and a clear jet of liquid squirted from her cunt into the air, splashing all over Taylor, who audibly moaned in excitement. "Please, daddy, please cum in my tight fucking ass., cum in your good little girl's virgin fucking ass, cream me up, baby, fill my virgin ass, I want your fucking cum, cum in my ass. Cum! In! My! Fucking! Ass! Please! Cum!" Andy's body finally yielded, and as soon as he started to cum in Niko's ass, he felt her muscles clamp down hard on him, the rest of her body shaking and vibrating before finally slumping back, Aisling and Lauren making sure to keep her from slamming the back of her head into Andy's face, helping to lay her down on the bed. "Fuck, we need a shower," Niko whimpered. "We all need a fucking shower right fucking now so fucking bad." "In five minutes," Andy grumbled, feeling Niko slide under one of her arms, Aisling under the other as Lauren moved to push a wide eyed Taylor off the bed and back to the floor, although Andy could see that her snatch was glistening something fierce. "But I'm not fucking anybody at all tomorrow. Got it?" Everybody laughed at that. Chapter 15 In the morning, Andy was woken up by the feeling of Niko getting out of bed. She tried to be as subtle and quiet as she could, but Andy still felt her slipping away. She smiled when she saw him with open eyes looking at her naked form as she pulled on her underwear. She brought a fingertip up to her lips, motioning for him to remain quiet, as she moved back over and kissed him on the lips, soft and tender, before she waved. "Go back to sleep," she mouthed at him as she pulled a set of fatigues from the closet. Today was going to be her first day on the base within the enclave, so she wasn't going to be late. Andy knew that and was glad to see she'd found a way to ensure she woke up in time, doubly glad that she'd done it without waking the whole household. Andy practically drifted back to sleep as soon as she started walking into the bathroom. A few hours later, he started to wake again as he felt Lauren starting to slide out of bed. Taylor was curled up on the floor at the foot of the bed, but Lauren had draped a blanket over her at some point in the night, so she wasn't cold. Andy found himself wondering if Lauren was already softening a little in terms of her anger towards her former partner, but certainly wasn't going to bring it up first. Aisling was stirring next to him, and he could hear Lauren turning on the shower in the bathroom. "Where is everybody?" Ash asked him, snuggling her face into his shoulder. "Lauren's in the shower, Niko headed off to the base early this morning and Taylor's asleep on the floor, so we have the bed to ourselves," he laughed. "Although we should probably get up anyway." "What about,” "You touch my cock, Ash, and it may very well fall the fuck off." She giggled a little bit mischievously. "I mean, I guess you did satisfy five women yesterday, so I suppose I can let you off the hook for today." "I mean, I'm not even sure if it's working any more. Here I am and no morning wood." "I feel like I'm letting you down, babes," she sighed. "I did tell you that you weren't going to go a day without giving me a load, and here I am, agreeing to let you have an entire day without it." Andy laughed, waving a hand in the air. "No no, I'm good, I promise. No sex today, so my cock can continue to function later." He started to stretch a little bit, seeing Lauren coming out of the bathroom, one towel around her torso, another tying up her hair. "The bathroom's steamed up, but I didn't leave it as a total mess for you two," Lauren said, as she smiled at them. "I gotta get toweled off and head to the training camp the '49ers set up in town, so I'll see you guys for dinner, okay?" Lauren looked over at Taylor, who hadn't woken up yet. "Don't let her off easy. This is a month of punishment, so I want her to feel it. My wrath isn't to be taken lightly, and if you got light on this daffy bitch, she's only going to make us regret it. No clothes, no plates, no utensils, no exceptions, got it?" "Yes ma'am," Andy said, waving in her direction, as she headed into the large walk in closet. "We should go and get showered, Ash." Aisling groaned before she made an over exaggerated noise and then pulled back, sliding to the edge of the bed, reaching over to tug on Andy's ankle, as he moved to follow her. Their time in the shower was relaxing and Andy saw Taylor wake up when Aisling turned on the hairdryer. As Andy tugged on the boxers, he decided he should probably talk a little bit to Taylor, especially since she wasn't going to start any conversations under orders from Lauren. "You must've really pissed Lauren off something fierce, Taylor," he said, as he grabbed a pair of jeans. "She is the most gentle kind soul I've ever met, but you brought out an anger from her I didn't even know she was capable of, and we've been living together for almost two months now. I know you cheated on her, and that's horrible enough to start with, but there's more going on here. So what happened?" Taylor frowned, shifting a little bit beneath the blanket. "I fucked up. Sir." Andy cocked his head to one side before pulling the t shirt down over his head. "That's not an answer. Not good enough. What. Happened." Taylor's bright blue eyes watered up a little, as if she was going to break out into tears. "Lauren and I had been fighting. We'd both been so busy that we hadn't really had time for each other in weeks. My ex boyfriend was in town. We went out drinking, I drank too much and I, I just needed cock." A single tear dropped from one of her eyes before she took a deep sniff in, trying to steel herself up. "It's not an excuse. It was a mistake, a horrible one. I should've talked to Lauren about my needs, told her that I found myself needing a man's touch, but, like I said, I fucked up." "You understand that if you join this family, the only cock you're going to be getting is mine, right?" "I do, sir." "And you're okay with that?" "I am, sir." "What's changed?" She frowned a little, looking at her hands before looking up at him as the blow dryer went off in the bathroom. "I've grown up a bit. It's been half a year, and I've had a lot of time to think about it. That whole time I've missed Lauren crazy mad. And I just really like both men and women, so with your family, sir, I'll get both. Lauren was the best thing that ever happened to me, and if you make her happy, and it sure seems like you do, I know you'll make me happy as well." "Did you like what you saw last night?" "Yes, sir. Very much sir." "And are you horny right now?" Aisling asked as she walked into the room, completely in the buff. "Yes ma'am. Very much so, ma'am." "You're not going to get it today," the redhead said as she tugged on a thong. "You know that, don't you?" "Yes ma'am." "Good girl." Aisling smirked wryly, looking over at Andy. "What do you think of her, love?" "It sounds like she's learning, so that's something." It was a little odd to be talking about Taylor as if she wasn't in the room, but Lauren had made it clear that they were supposed to keep Taylor from being comfortable the whole time, and Andy couldn't think of anything that made people more uncomfortable than being talked about in front of them. "Quite the cracking body on her too, I'd say. Pint sized in height, but Jaysis, I'd kill for tits like hers." She pulled on a sports bra, shifting as she got it adjusted. "The advantage of youth, I'd guess. I'm surprised you're even old enough to go drinking, Taylor. How old are you, slut?" "I'm twenty five, ma'am." Aisling laughed and grabbed her towel, throwing it at Taylor. "Oh fuuuuuuuuuck you!" Aisling was giggling, shaking her head. "I'm only two years older than you." "I'm, sorry, ma'am?" "Oh, hush," Aisling said, shaking her head with a sly smile. Andy walked over and tugged the sheet off Taylor, who didn't blanch at all, staying on her knees, folding her hands behind her back to proudly jut those firm, natural double D tits at him. The pink nipples that capped them were stiff like pencil erasers. Taylor kept her eyes lowered, even as Andy reached a hand down at cupped one of Taylor's tits in his hand, hearing her breath catch when he did. "Lauren didn't say I couldn't touch her, did she Ash?" Aisling shook her head. "She said nothing goes in her cunt for the month, and that she wasn't going to get fucked for about a week, but I think that was the extent of her rules for you in regards to touching her." "I'm not usually the kind of man drawn to overly big tits," Andy said, "but I have to admit, it just sort works on Taylor." "Thank you, sir," Taylor whispered, each word almost strained. Andy couldn't help himself, and pinched one of Taylor's nipples, hearing a high pitched squeak emanate from her before she held very still and then forced a breath out, shivering quite visibly as she did, her skin covered in goosebumps. "Holy shit," Aisling said. "Did you just cum from that?" "Yes ma'am," Taylor whimpered. "Sorry ma'am." "You couldn't control it, so I suppose just good on you." Andy's hand left her nipple and then he scrunched his face up before he crouched down. He pushed Taylor's thighs a bit wider apart and then slid his hand between them, his fingertips just below her cunt, and then waited. A second or so later, he felt her drip onto his hand. "Dripping wet." "Yes sir. Sorry sir." Andy smirked as he brought his hand up to his lips, licking the taste of her snatch from his skin. "I think the only thing you really have to be sorry about is that you're going to be making a mess on the floor for a while now." "May I ask a question, sir?" "You just did, but go ahead." He thought he saw a slight smile from Taylor at that, as if the point was made. "May your worthless bitch clean herself up with toilet paper?" "Go on then," he said, as Aisling tugged on some yoga pants and one of Andy's t shirts. She had plenty of her own clothing, but had to wearing his t shirts as often as she could. "We'll meet you downstairs for breakfast. Yours will be in a bowl." "Yes, ma'am." Taylor headed into the bathroom as Andy and Aisling headed downstairs. After a quick breakfast (even though it was closer to lunch than morning), the two hopped into the Tesla and headed into town to get groceries. Andy was a little surprised it was a Safeway, but suspected that whoever had built this community had decided to go for convenience over rustic. Andy found the whole experience surreal. The people he saw coming and going were a weird mix of high fashion and modern style, and there were a lot more women than men, although he wasn't all that surprised by that. With the number of women that each man was expected to be paired with, he knew their little village was going to have a sizable imbalance, and he saw that reflected in the people walking through the lanes. As expected, there were many hot young women, but he was also pleased to see several older good looking women in their fifties and sixties. A community comprised solely of young fit gorgeous women would've made it all even more awkward than it already was. They were mostly done getting their groceries when Aisling tapped Andy. "Hey, I know her! Lisa! It's Ash!" Walking towards them was an older man in a ridiculously expensive looking suit, and a woman in a tight tube top and hot pants quite younger than the man she was accompanying. The woman, a stunning brunette, offered a slight wave, but didn't say anything in response. The man, however, immediately addressed Andy. "Hello good sir! Arthur Robert Covington the Fourth. You must be new to our little colony." He offered a hand out to Andy, who almost didn't want to shake it, but did so reluctantly. Some things were almost just reflexive. "Andy Rook, and this is my first partner, Aisling." "Nice to meet you," Aisling said, reaching out to shake the man's hand, but he'd lowered his hand to his side, so her hand hung awkwardly in the air for a moment before she finally took the hint and lowered her own. "I didn't know you were here, Lisa. I haven't seen you in, what, five or six years? Andy, Lisa was in a bunch of classes with me in college." "Oh, Lisa doesn't talk out in public any more," the pompous git said to them. "It's for both of our benefit. I find it's much better if women are just seen and not heard, don't you agree, Andy?" Andy immediately wanted to beat the shit out the pompous prick. "Can't say that I do." Everything about the man screamed old money, and it was taking all of Andy's willpower not to just walk away from them right now. Clearly Ash had some familiarity with the woman, and he wanted to support Aisling any way he could. "I find it's best to treat everyone you meet like an actual person, rather than some sort of fashion accessory." "That is so modern of you, young man," Convington said. "And so en vogue. You don't have to pretend here, though, young man. In this community, though, we don't answer to anyone but each other. You certainly are quite a bit younger than the majority of people who have been brought here, and perhaps you are expecting that you need to blend in to the modern times." The older gentleman smiled at Andy with a condescension that made him want to punch the guy until he was lying on the floor. "But you are among friends now, and we the elite men of the world have always been best supported by our women with their support and their stoic silence." "I couldn't disagree more, old chap," Andy said, trying to make it clear by his tone that he was mocking the man's arrogant tones. "While I understand that it's not very traditional, at least in the western world, for a man to have multiple wives, but I'm never going to ask them to be silent in public. I value their opinions all the time, and I see them as equals, not lesser people." "Well," Covington sniffed. "I imagine you'll come around eventually, but even if you don't, we're all entitled to our own lifestyles. Good luck to you both." Then the man, who had to be at least sixty, walked off with his twenty something woman, who offered a tiny wave to Aisling before walking away. Once they were around the corner, Aisling punched him in the shoulder. "If you think I'm better seen and not heard, you are in for a world of trouble, fella." "You heard me say that I didn't agree with him, Ash. Sexist pig." "Still. Don't want you getting ideas." Andy sighed. "I sort of suspected we were going to find some people like that here, but I can't say I'm thrilled about it. And we can't try and rescue her, because they're already bonded." "Do you believe Phil when he said the bonds are permanent?" "Phil's usually right about these kinds of things, so I don't think he'd lie to us about it." "Then I suppose I'm just happy that I'm not bonded to a total git." Andy and Aisling decided to spend a little bit more time getting additional groceries after the experience, mostly to cool off. They'd gotten a list of things from Jenny, which covered most of what they would be having for meals. Jenny had even told them that she would be happy to do all the grocery shopping, but Andy had insisted they wanted to see the town a bit more anyway before they left, so Jenny had made it clear that this was going to be an exception, and prepared them a list that she was strict they pick up all of. Most of what they picked up at the end were some comfort foods to go along with everything off Jenny's list. Candy, soda, chips, the kinds of things he suspected Jenny wouldn't approve of too much, but he wasn't ready to let go of his sugar addiction quite yet. As they picked up food that clearly wasn't good for them, Andy kept his eyes on the other people he saw coming and the mismatch of young and old he'd seen with Aisling's friend and the stuffed shirt seemed to be the norm. The men could occasionally be found chatting with each other, but for the most part, the women remained silent, although he did spot a couple of women following the same man talking between themselves. Andy was a little used to feeling like an outsider. When he'd gone and done his first sci fi convention, some of the older writers had thrown a lot of shade his way about his books. Many of them felt like urban fantasy was something of a slum compared to either high fantasy or pure sci fi. In fact, more than a couple of people he used to called idols had called his particular strain of fiction "juvenile," even going so far to describe the Druid Gunslinger books as "starter fantasy, for unsophisticated minds." It had almost made him want to not do any more conventions, but after a little bit of searching, he'd found a group of similarly minded writers, people like him who looked at genre boundaries as a roadmap of what rules to break and how. What he loved most of all, though, was that the fans didn't give a shit. Sure, there were detractors to his writing in the crowds, but they'd get booed down by the rest of the people who were there to learn more about where his books were going and what kinds of secrets he'd been leaving off the page. Most of the fans believed he lived in San Francisco proper, but Andy certainly hadn't made enough money off the books to justify that kind of lifestyle. There were other things about his books that had drawn people to his audience, he wasn't afraid of writing sex scenes in his books, some of the supporting characters were gay or bisexual, but the main reason they kept coming back was that the books were unpredictable. He'd killed off main characters mid book, he'd changed the city the protagonist's base of operations was in multiple times and one of the villains he'd introduced in one of the first few books had gone through a surprising redemption arc in the most recent book, something that the early readers had raved about how much they hadn't seen it coming. All that had instilled him a sense that he never had to go along with something just because it was what was expected of you, and he certainly didn't plan to change the way he treated people now because a bunch of blue blood uppity vampires thought he should join their little club. "It's so weird," Ash whispered to him. "Seeing all these beautiful women, being forced to walk a few steps behind their men. All of this pretentious bullshit, these assholes thinking their money makes them invincible. It used to be the stranglehold they had over women was figurative, financial. Now it's literal. They're literally dependent on these assholes for their survival. If they don't get their fix, they're going to go out of their minds. I mean, what are we going to do if you leave us? Or if you get taken away from us? Or get sick and die?" "I'm sure they're working on something to stabilize it, Ash, but until then, you're alive, I'm alive, and that's all that matters." Andy sighed. "But I'm still alive, unlike ten million other American men. And the death rates are starting to climb around the world too. So anything that keeps me alive, I'm going to take that as a win. Speaking of which, how is your brother doing?" "He's sheltering in place with the rest of my clan, luv. You don't really know my mother yet, but when you meet her, you'll learn how much of an iron fist she's got on the whole family. They'll do whatever it takes to survive. Your brother?" "He and his wife are doing the same. She ventures out from time to time, but other than that, they don't dare leave the house." Andy waved his phone over the credit card machine, and heard the telltale ding that meant the bill was paid. "Martial law got declared in Kansas City, though, and I know the tanks rolling down the streets have them more than a little spooked." "Whatever it takes to get through it, luv, we're gonna do it." "Well, not if it takes me turning into that asshole." Aisling giggled. "Oh, Andy, you're not built to be a snob." "Suppose you're right." When they got to the car, Andy couldn't help but start laughing a bit as he replayed the earlier conversation in his head. Aisling asked him what he found so funny. "I mean, he's the Fourth in a long line of pompous assholes, Ash. Why don't we understand how important that is?" That set her off laughing too. Andrew Rook continues to protect his family. Chapter 16 The day of the party felt like it came much faster than it should've. While everyone had a few days to prepare, they all felt like they were struggling to get their costumes together. Most hysterically, all the girls had made some sort of tacit agreement not to tell Andy what they were dressing up as for the Halloween party. They were all a little surprised he wasn't dressing up as the Druid Gunslinger himself, but they seemed okay with it. He told them he'd done the gear next year, but he'd literally worn the costume last year, and despite all the changes they'd been through over the past several months, he didn't want to do it two years in a row. While none of the girls may have seen him in it, he knew that both Eric and Phil would've given him an endless amount of shit for it. He loved vintage sci fi costumes, so for this year, he'd decided to be Logan from Logan's Run, the 1976 film he'd adored growing up. It was a relatively simple costume, a black turtleneck with white trim and a large white stripe over the chest, as well as a blinking red palm flower crystal. When he'd done the costume as a teenager, he'd had to use a bike light, which took over so much of his hand, but now he could achieve the same effect with a simple L E D light attached to a battery. It was much more convenient. A few hours before the party was to start, Andy was banned from entering his own bedroom as the girls had set up a sort of base camp there, working on all their costumes away from his prying eyes. The staff had decided to dress up as Clue characters, so Nicolette was back in her Yvette costume, Jenny R. was dressed as the cook (from the movie, not the board game) and Katie was dressed as Mrs. White. They had been a little surprised that they were invited to the party once the food was laid out, but Andy had been adamant that he wanted them to feel like members of the family as much as staff. He was glad to see they accepted that without too much of a fuss, although Jenny was insistent that she and Nicolette would be tending to the food all night, even while they were mingling. Surprising no one, none of the girls who weren't staff were ready by the time the first guests showed up. Andy wasn't shocked that it was Eric who arrived first, along with his whole group. Eric was dressed as Han Solo, with Lily as Princess Leia, Jenny C. as Luke Skywalker, Sarah as Chewbacca, and two other girls who'd recently joined his family “ Lara, a tall, statuesque blonde, and Nikki, a tiny little plump brunette “ were dressed as C3 P0 and R2 D2 accordingly. Phil and his family arrived next. They were all dressed up as characters from the video game Street Fighter, with Phil as Ryu, Audrey as Chun Li, Linda as Cammy, Tamika as Poison and a new girl named Yuko, who was dressed as Sakura. Andy, much like both Phil and Eric, had never been big on large social gatherings, but this felt entirely different. Perhaps they'd been so starved for company, or perhaps they'd been trying to make sense of the new normal for so long, it was nice to have a touch of the old normal, even if it was only a shadow of how it used to be. Dressed all in costume, the boys sat down to play poker. After Phil showed up, Andy's girls descended down the staircase and made a grand entry for themselves. Aisling had dressed up as Amy Adams' portrayal of Lois Lane from the Superman movies, in a white open shirt with a black vest, her hair done up in a smart ponytail, a black lanyard hanging around her neck that said "Daily Planet." Lauren had dressed up as the Black Canary, from the Green Arrow comic books, a leather jacket she'd stolen from his closet, a black leotard and ripped black fishnets that Andy couldn't deny made her pop even more. The biggest surprise, however, was Niko. It took him a few seconds to realize what she was dressed as, and as soon as he did, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. She was dressed in a white lab coat, with her hair up in a bun, held in place with chopsticks. Beneath it, she wore a deep purple shirt. It all looked vaguely familiar, but then she turned her head and it all clicked as soon as he saw that coloration done to her hair. While most of her hair was still jet black, on the right side, there was a blue stripe, followed by a violet stripe, and his heart stopped a beat. She was dressed as Doctor Erika Shirow, the coroner who often worked with the Druid Gunslinger in his novels. Around her neck hung a pendant of a celtic cross, exactly as he'd described it in the most recent novel. Shirow had been a regular recurring character, but she was easily what fans would've called "a deep cut." When he'd first introduced her in the second book, he suspected she was a character he would come back to, but hadn't planned her to have much impact on the overarching storyline he had in mind. Now, some nine books into the series, she'd actually appeared in more of them than any other character other than Dale Sexton, the titular Druid Gunslinger. Most of the time, she usually only appeared in a chapter or two, but now, seeing Niko dressed as her, he wondered if he'd been subconsciously building a relationship between Dale and Erika over the course of the novels. He made a mental note to ask Niko about it later. The girls wandered into the room and took their time showing off their costumes for everyone, but as soon as they did, Niko moved over to slide down into Andy's lap, sliding an arm around him. "You like?" she asked him, a mischievous smile on her lips. "No, I absolutely hate it," he laughed, sticking his tongue out at her. "You look stunning. You all look stunning." "Lauren worried she was too tall to pull off the Black Canary, but I told her that in those fishnets, you wouldn't give a fuck." "You would absolutely be right." Niko gestured for him to tip up his hole cards so she could look at them, which he did, and then tipped them back down. "Looks like you're doing well." "Ah, we're mostly playing for fun," Eric said. Niko winked over in his direction. "Sure. That's why your chip stack is so utterly small." "Absolutely," Lily said, moving to stand behind Eric. "And it certainly isn't because my man has no poker face whatsoever." Audrey moved to stand behind Phil. "Phil's usually pretty good at poker, though," she said, kissing his cheek. "Although I heard Andy's always been better." Andy shrugged. "I'm not bad. I mean, I wouldn't drop ten K of my own money to enter the World Series of Poker, but I usually come out at least a little bit ahead at poker nights." "Go easy on them then, I guess, Andy. How high are the stakes?" Niko asked, clearly wiggling her ass in his lap, trying to distract him off his game. "Are we rich yet?" Andy cocked his head to one side, mocking a frown upon his face. "Have you missed the mansion we now live in?" "Sure, but that's not money money," she teased. "What're you playing for?" Eric laughed. "Big, big money." He looked left, looked right, then leaned forward, putting his hand over one side of his mouth, stage whispering to her. "Twenty dollars is the buy in." He widened his eyes and nodded in her direction, like it was his life savings they were talking about. Niko rolled her eyes. "Forget what I said about going easy on them. Take them for everything they're worth." "Oh, and the loser has to buy dinner for the next game night," Phil said. "Or, at least, they used to have to, but that was before we all got our own private staff." "I can't remember the last time Andy bought dinner," Eric grumbled. "I don't know that he ever has," Phil sighed. "I think it's all the rest of us just passing the buck around." The doorbell rang, and Niko slid off his lap. "Who else are we expecting?" Phil rolled his eyes upward in thought. "Ari and his family are coming. Jenna's hooked up with some guy named Gary, so they said they'd stop by. Mel told me he couldn't make it this time, but would try and catch us for the next get together." "I'll go see who it is." Niko headed to the door and Andy could hear from outside the door as soon as she opened it a chorus of children shouting "Trick Or Treat!" They'd just resolved the hand, so all the guys got up and headed to the door to see five children, all dressed up in Minecraft costumes, holding out buckets, into which Niko graciously dropped a couple of candies each. There was a woman standing behind the children, back at the foot of the walkway up to the house, waving at them. It wasn't anyone that any of them recognized, but Andy was glad to see the children weren't out by themselves. For the next hour or so, every ring of the doorbell would bring either another gaggle of children, or another of the group's mutual friends, until the house felt like a booming party. The parade of trick or treating children eventually slowed, and it was almost ten pm when the doorbell rang again. Andy went to answer the door, holding the pot of candies, and as soon as he opened the door, he tensed up a little, even as he heard the shout of "Trick Or Treat!" There were only two children standing there, a girl dressed as Hermione from Harry Potter, and a slightly older boy, dressed as Draco Malfoy. But the children weren't the problem. Behind them stood Arthur Robert Covington the Fourth, dressed as Napoleon. Andy had to mentally tell himself not to curl his hand into a fist. "Ah, Andrew!" Covington said. "So this is where you live. I did wonder which of the open houses they'd assigned you to." Andy dropped candies into the outstretched bags of the two children. They shouldn't be punished for what an ass their father was. "Yes. Well. Here we are." He couldn't wait to get this
Here is your Daily Disney News for Friday, May 30th, 2025 - Disneyland Tokyo is launching a new attraction based on "My Neighbor Totoro" with immersive visuals, opening in late June. - Walt Disney World's "Moana: Journey of Water" attraction opens next month, offering interactive water explorations. - Disney+ to release "The Galactic Adventures of Star Wars Droids" featuring droids R2-D2 and C-3PO later this year. - Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival returns March 1st to April 23rd next year, showcasing diverse culinary delights. Have a magical day and tune in again tomorrow for more updates.
He take a nostalgic look back to when Lego Star Wars was taking its first steps. We're covering Revenge of the Brick, Quest for R2-D2 and Bombad Bounty. 2 out of 3 feature Ewoks! This Endorian Life is a nostalgic Star Wars Podcast from the Radio Meanwhile Network.
Artificiell intelligens kommer utan tvekan att förändra våra liv, vår arbetsmarknad, mänsklig interaktion – och kanske till och med behovet av människan själv. Där vissa ser oändliga möjligheter ser andra en dystopisk framtid. Hur kommer vi i Sverige och Europa hantera utvecklingen, inte minst med tanke på konkurrensen från omvärlden? Det samtalar vi om i veckans Hotspot.Gäst i programmet är Erik Bolinder som jobbar med AI inom företagande och utbildning.Se programmet på Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@varldenidagplay Vill du hjälpa oss att göra fler program? Stöd gärna vårt arbete genom att swisha en gåva till: 123 396 94 17Prova Världen idag en månad gratis: https://prova.varldenidag.se
Story endings are hard! The epilogue of a game not only has to logically wrap up the story and tie up any loose ends—it's also the moment to reflect on how your character has grown over many sessions, and a moment for you as the player to feel like the time spent playing was worthwhile. In this episode, we talk about what makes roleplaying game epilogues special, and how we're approaching epilogue design in Escape from Wonderland. Episode Mentions: Return to Oz (1985 film) Fortunately (1964 illustrated book, Remy Charlip) Something Wicked this Way Comes (1962 novel, Ray Bradbury) Tuiti and R2D2 at Dakin Animal Shelter Links: Join the Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz Support our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun Buy our games: https://turtlebun.com/ Credits: Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/ Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Instagram: instagram.com/turtleandbun Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com
Andor's second wraps up with some emotional moments in the final three episodes that make up the BBY 1 story arc. Episode 10 ("Make It Stop") was not something a child wants to watch when their loved one is undergoing heart and lung surgeries. Seeing Luthen, a father figure, on the bed like that and hearing and seeing the breathing apparatus move until Kleya releases him from his future of pain and suffering...Episode 11 was the response to the spy game Kleya just pulled off and the Empire wasn't far enough behind for her to get comfortable. The action wasn't as incredible as the Ghorman Massacre, but it didn't have to be. K-2SO got to be a hero for the rebellion for the first time and Melshi earned his keep as well. It's good to see some Imperials fell along the way because the ones we're seeing here had passed the point of an easy redemption.Episode 12 bridged the gap to Rogue One and despite what was being sold for weeks, a rewatch of the movie right after finishing the show didn't enhance or recontextualize things, at least for This is the Way Podcast's sensibilities. Rogue One is still more close to A New Hope than it is Andor...and there's more characters and story shared in the show. Why does it feel that way?There's room for another season or two or three. A lot happened while Luke, Leia, and Han were at the forefront of that story. Tony Gilroy might be the one to tell those side stories of the rebels behind the scenes setting the stage for the Force to be used in mighty ways. Could we sneak in Wilmon to the Endor assault team? Would Kleya and Vel be tasked to recruit some Bothans? Who might find out where Han was taken by Boba Fett? Would someone have to recruit more star systems to the rebellion? Does anyone discover, too late, that the Milllenium Falcon has a tracking device on it on arrival at Yavin? How about the move from Yavin to Hoth and the scouting and secrecy in constantly moving from base to base?None of that may ever come to fruition. Tony Gilroy has said he's done. The only way I think I'd be interested in hearing those stories is if someone took the care and time he did with Andor and only if they keep Luke, Leia, and Han out of the story completely or relegated to out of focus background. You can do Chewbacca, that's it. I've gotten a hug at Disney Hollywood Studios. That works. I don't want to see fake Lukes and Leias, though. R2-D2, C-3PO, Chewbacca, and our Andor characters. Want me to work on it Lucasfilm? I will. I'll put every ounce of my being into it.The full recap and discussion episodes will come later. Life events continue to wreak havoc on the This is the Way Podcast schedule. I will not guarantee that we'll finish with Andor in May. There's nothing new coming anyway. It's just news updates, Mandalorian and Grogu movie leaks, and Ahsoka season two production notes for the foreseeable future.If you have an episode specific comment, email it to the address we reveal in our podcasts. You've got time to interact with This is the Way Podcast via 'X' and Instagram @ThisistheWayPod or on Facebook, YouTube, and also on Spotify! May the Force be with us!
OpeningGolfPGA Championship at Quail Hollow. 156 players. Top 70 make cut. Qualification CriteriaCalifornia Budget$12 billion budget deficit. Newsom is proposing to close the deficit by rolling back state-funded insurance coverage for adults without legal immigration status, cutting coverage for weight loss drugs like OzempicCalifornia: 13.3%Hawaii: 11.0%New York: 10.9%New Jersey: 10.75%Oregon: 9.9%Investing$1000 to every kid. Home Alarm: $45/ monthMarketsTariffsTariff Game Theory: China has to blink because everyday that passes every company is studying and implementing supply chain changes. So much panic in last month or so. Now Flat year to dateIf investing on April 7. You are up 17% and 29% Downturns is when you make money!!! NetflixAll time high: $1182. Up 29% YTD. $500 billion market cap. Netflix said on Wednesday 94 million subscribers use its advertising-supported tier.BuffetBecoming old. 94 years old. Legend. I'm still pissed he didn't buy Tesla. CoinbaseRansomTurning it around. Will pay $20m reward to help find attackers!!! Tesla Stilll planning to go live with Robo-taxi in Austin in June. Shares could explode. $345 today. $480 ATH. If you bought Tesla 10 years ago. You're up 20x. 35-36% annualized returns.Robots dancing shown to Crown Prince and President Trump in Saudi. Talk in Saudi: Robots and wanting your own C3P0 or R2-D2 and productivity unlock. Universal “High Income”. How are we doing on Robotaxis. Robots on wheels. Bringing robotaxi to the Kingdom.Apple ATH $258. Now at $211. Was $172WHat is a buy-back?More of Eddy Cue testimony here. Alphabet/ GoogleSearch is dead. Cloud, Youtube, Google Biz suite alive and well.DOGEBig BallsThese kids are so hard core. No weekends. They know they're racing against a media and political clock that won't thank them for their service.Requiring receipts: "They were basically partying on taxpayer money." Recommendations:Friends and NeighborsTheo Von with David Spade. Listening to Ben Affleck.
DISCORD: https://discord.gg/KU255nqgxY PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/thetonecontrol NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/isAxIc Nano Cortex $550 0:17:31Amp and Cab centric Pre and Post effects slots Capture tech USB-CReverse Imposter Syndrome? 0:44:28Patreon 1:08:42Rabbi BobThird Mark RecordsCarson RickettsMatthew FenselauRiesenwolfB-Gow 69_420Seven Nation AndySean Wright of Lollygagger EffectsEric Thump
Watch on Philo! - Philo.tv/DTHSnoke is back on his BS, trying to seize military control of the galaxy. While Leia things they have a chance to fight back especially if Luke returns. Who can really say for sure. Poe is like why wait for Luke? Let's get out there! So he goes and tries to launch a counter strike against the First Order. Leia isn't having it and she tells him to disengage. He does not and with the help of some others from the resistance, destroys a First Order dreadnought and gets outta there via hyperspeed. Snoke is not pleased. Meanwhile, Rey hands Luke his lightsaber which he promptly throws it down the mountain. He's like I'm not coming, there's nothing I can do. Did you think I was just going to come back and magically save the day? It's not gonna happen. But Rey doesn't give up. She just follows Luke around the island for a while until Rey ends up feeling the force draw her to this cave with books - the original jedi text. It's at this point that Luke realizes that Rey may be special. Poe gets back to the base and Leia is not pleased with him, and it goes from bad to worse because the first order has tracked them down through light speed. Leia orders Poe and the otherrs to get back out there and fight them off. Kylo Ren, feeling the pressure from Snoke, is out there leading the attack, piloting his own ship. He is about to blow their ship up when he realizes that his mom is on board and hesitates. But one of the other pilots shoots and causes and expolosion which sends Leia flying into space. She is able to use the force to get herself back to the ship where the crew works to save her. Luke continues to say "nahhhhh" to Rey until R2-D2 shows up and convinces him to train Rey. But he's not happy about it and tells her that this training will show her why the Jedi needs to end. Finn is beeboppin around where he bumps into a mechanic named Rose. They figure out where the tracking device must be and Finn knows how to get them there. They take the plan to Poe and he says lets go for it. Back on the island, Rey and Kylo Ren begin communicating via the force. This chat is cut short when Luke Skywalker takes her away to give her her first lesson. He attempts to teach her how to feel the force and control it. Rey is able to see visions some small pebbles begins to float. She did it! However, she soon sees a vision of herself being pulled toward a dark pit. Luke yells at her, telling her to resist it. She does not. Suddenly water snaps Rey out of the vision. Luke says she saw the dark side of the Force, and she didn't even try to stop herself. He is very disappointed in her. He has seen this raw power once before and it did not end well. Luke explains that the last time he saw Kylo Ren, Young Ben as we call him around here, he was his student. He took him to train him in the force but Kylo gave in to the dark side and attempted to kill Luke by having a hut collapse on him. She tells Luke that he didn't fail Kylo Ren, Kyle Ren failed him.As Rey and Kylo continue to connect, Kylo tells Rey that Luke saw the power growing in Kylo and had attempted to get rid of him before he got stronger.There's this whole journey that Finn and Rose go on at a casino and these giant cat things. They meet DJ who overhears the two of them needing a code-breaker, and he offers his services. Rey has another conversation with Kylo and he tells her that what Luke told her is not true. He made that hut collapse because he woke up from slumber to see Luke holding a lightsaber over him, getting ready to kill him. They reach their hands out to each other and they touch hands Neil Dimond style. Sweet Caroline. Luke senses this and puts a stop to it. Rey confronts Luke over what Kylo told him. They fight a bit and then he explains that he could sense that there was nothing but darkness within Kylo and He did consider killing him but backed out of it, only for Kylo to see him with the light-saber and assume that he was indeed going to kill him. Rey tells him that she could see that all hope is not lost when she touched Kylo's hand and she's going to go to him. Luke is frustrated and is met by Yoda. He tells Yoda he's going to destroy the Jedi texts and Yoda is like one step ahead of you and does it and he tells Luke to help Rey. Rey arrives on the same ship as Kylo and is immediately taken prisoner. Rey tries to get Kylo to abandon the dark side but he's like it's you that will join the dark side. Kylo brings Rey to Snoke. Holdo, who is in charge while Leia is recovering, starts to set in motion plans to evacuate. Poe believes she is up to something and he attempts to stage a mutiny. Before his plans can go into effect, Leia appears after waking up and she blasts Poe. Leia allows Holdo's plan to go ahead and off they go. Snoke reveals that he created the connection between her and Kylo in an attempt to destroy Luke. He begins to use the force on her to get her to spill the beans on Luke. Finn, Rose, and DJ make it to the First Order's ship. They are captured and DJ immediately comes clean about their plan to save himself.Snoke attempts to get Kylo to kill Rey with his light-saber, but Kylo uses Luke's light-saber to impale Snoke and cut him in half. Rey and Kylo then team up to fight Snoke's soldiers. But don't get it twist - Kylo has not given into the light. He says it's time to let old things die and he invites Rey to join him in dark side. He even brings up how she knwos the truth about her parents - they were junk traders who sold her off, hoping that would cause Rey to give in. But she eventually resists.While that's happening, Holdo sacrifices herself to help the resistance get away. This also allows Finn & Rose to escape right as they're about to be killed. Kylo Ren is like I'M THE CAPTAIN NOW! And he orders gigantic walkers to go to the Resistance HQ. Poe leads Finn, Rose, and a few others to fight back. Rey and Chewie come down with the Falcon to help which really makes Kylo mad. Finn is about to sacrifice himself but Rose crashes her ship into his to stop him. Finn goes to her and asks why she did it. She tells him they always fight for what they love. She kisses small ones and then passes out. It's not looking good. Leia is feeling defeated. Suddenly, Luke arrives. They chat a bit and then he goes to take care of business. Luke goes out to face the First Order by himself. Kylo orders they use every blaster they can on him, which they do. When the smoke clear, Luke is there...unphased by Kylo's blasters. Poe sees this and realizes that Luke is distracting the baddies to allow them to escape. But their escape is blocked by rocks. Luckily, Rey shows up to clear the rocks and get them free. Kylo goes down to face Luke himself. They duel with their light-sabers, and Kylo attempts to strike Luke with a killing blow, only to realize Luke is a hologram... he still on his island babyyyyyy. Luke tells Kylo that he will not be the last Jedi. He vanished and we see him back on the island. HE finally vanishes and becomes one with the force. Rey tells Leia that she can sense that Luke is now gone, and she asks what will become of the Resistance now. Leia tells her they have what they need to rebuild.On Canto Bight, a trio of stable children that previously encountered Finn and Rose are telling each other the story of Luke Skywalker. Their master comes over to scold them to force them back to work. The boy they had found in the stable goes outside and uses the Force to draw a broom to his hand. He looks up at the sky to see the Falcon flying overhead, and, with Rose's Resistance ring on his finger, he raises his broom like a light-saber.
É hora de explorar o legado de dois dos mais importantes personagens da galáxia. Katia e Bruna mergulham no mundo dos bits com o auxilio de uma convidada especial, SURPRESA, para desvendar a história e todos os segredos dos grandes heróis da saga, R2D2 e C3PO. Seja fazendo cálculos quase impossíveis, traduzindo milhões de línguas […]
Dana and Tom with 5x club member, Shane Rogers (Comedian and Host of Midnight Facts for Insomniacs) and Jesse Sertle (fellow group member of CineMadison) discuss the movie that created the biggest film franchise of all-time, Star Wars (1977): written and directed by George Lucas, cinematography by Gilbert Taylor, music by John Williams, starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, and James Earl Jones.Plot Summary: Star Wars is set in a galaxy far, far away under the oppressive rule of the Galactic Empire. The story follows a young farm boy, Luke Skywalker, who discovers his destiny when he comes across a pair of droids carrying secret plans for the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star. With the guidance of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi as well as the help of a roguish pilot, Han Solo, his co-pilot Chewbacca, and the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, Luke embarks on a daring mission to rescue Princess Leia from the clutches of Darth Vader and to aid the Rebel Alliance in their fight for freedom. The film is a tale of heroism, hope, and the battle between good and evil.Guests:Shane RogersComedian and Host of Midnight Facts for InsomniacsPreviously on Broadcast News (1987), The Big Lebowski (1998), Superman: The Movie (1978), There's Something About Mary (1998), This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Ex Machina (2015)Jesse Sertlefellow group member of CineMadisonpreviously on Rounders (1998), Easy Rider (1969), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)@jsertle on IGChapters:00:00 Introduction and Welcome Back to Shane and Jesse02:31 A Significant Movie in the History of GMOAT03:13 Cast and Background for Star Wars08:18 Relationship(s) with Star Wars18:25 What is Star Wars About?23:43 Will Star Wars Ever Be at the Peak of Culture Again?34:15 Plot Summary for Star Wars35:19 Did You Know?37:11 First Break38:00 What's Up with Shane Rogers and Jesse Sertle39:29 Best Performance(s)48:45 Best/Favorite/Indelible Scene(s)01:00:08 Second Break01:00:47 In Memoriam01:04:04 Best/Funniest Lines01:08:24 The Stanley Rubric - Legacy01:14:04 The Stanley Rubric -...
Happy Day After Star Wars Day! The Boys get into an argument about R2-D2, and Ricky learnts some awesome Earth facts. There's also a holy water hex, AI robot grooming, and some greasy stuff down at the Legion!
In this episode of Star Warsologies, we share the recording of our our Star Wars Celebration Japan panel "Droids, Artificial Intelligence, and Sentience" Panel description: R2-D2 and C-3PO. BB-8. Battle droids. Star Wars isn't Star Wars without its lovable droids. We'll examine the science of robots, the programming of personality and the ethics of sentient mechanicals in society, plus go behind the scenes on designing droids for the movies. Why do droids in Star Wars look the way they do? Why do we all love R2-D2? How close are we to having droid intelligence and personality in our own world? Let's go inside the gears and processing units to explore all the possibilities. Our team of experts includes Yukie Nagai (Project Professor, International Research Center for Neurointelligence, University of Tokyo), Fon Davis (ILM Model Maker - Star Wars), Chris Kempshall (author, Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire and The History and Politics of Star Wars) and Joel Welch (PhD Law candidate at Western University, Emerging Technology Policies & SciFi). Moderated by James Floyd (Star Wars Insider; Star Warsologies, Star Wars Crossword Puzzles). Show Links: Check out Yukie Nagai's robotics website. Check out Chris Kempshall's website. You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.
Brief introduction includes reminiscing on old TV show Dallas and meeting Patrick Duffy and R2D2 at the Superdome in New Orleans. Many relatives talk to the Scarabin family in Tembagapura, Indonesia just after they'd arrived - Scarabins-Gertrude, James Randolph Scarabin, Jeffrey Mervin "Buzzy" Scarabin, Minos Paul Scarabin, Louis Melvin Scarabin, Sr., Helen Mae Wright Adolph, Quentin Scott Evans, Helen Gail Adolph Portie, Brent Edward Portie, Lillian and Ernest Leonard "Pompy" Scarabin, Helen Mae again, Clarence Henry Adolph, Sr., Kyle Louis Bergeron, Craig Alan Bergeron, Carolyn Del Adolph Bergeron. Featuring multiple family members exchanging messages with loved ones, Louis M. "DD" Scarabin, Jr., Marilyn Kay Adolph and the kids, who are currently away. The recording, dated May 22-27, 1976 (MawMaw mistakenly says April 23), from Boothville, captures a heartfelt and casual conversation filled with updates on daily life, family activities, and expressions of longing for those who are absent. Fishing and shrimping activities are mentioned, with mixed success (e.g., catching $90-$200 worth of shrimp). Household tasks like cleaning, gardening (e.g., harvesting butter beans and red beans), and trailer preparations are ongoing. Weather affects plans, with rain delaying trailer deliveries and outdoor work. Church attendance is noted, with some family members absent due to illness. A new trailer for Gail is delivered, described as nice but challenging to organize due to her belongings. Births (e.g., Sal's new baby boy) and two deaths (Michelle "Mickey" Adams, 9, from car accident; Dr. Rees, 63, from a heart attack) are mentioned.
In celebration of May the Fourth, over the next four weeks, we're pulling apart one of our first season episodes, putting it back together with dozens of new jokes and unashamedly admitting, we don't think it was all that good, first time round. And in this Sci Fi Satan miniseries of minisodes we're looking at where the Christian Bible has influenced Science Fiction.In this episode we'll look at some of the comparisons that can be made between the most commercially successful Science Fiction epic ever and Star Wars.There will be special guest star appearances from Episode IV A New Hope, Luke Skywalker, Obiwan, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, Palpatine, The Empire Strikes Back, Anakin Skywalker, Darth Maul, Devaronians, George Lucas, Jar Jar Binks, C3PO, R2D2, Joseph Campbell, Hero with a Thousand Faces, Abrahamic religions, Zeus, pagans, Kylo Ren, #666 #SketchComedy #Sketch #Comedy #Sketch Comedy #Atheist #Science #History #Atheism #Antitheist #ConspiracyTheory #Conspiracy #Conspiracies #Sceptical #Scepticism #Mythology #Religion #Devil #Satan #Satanism #Satanist #Skeptic #Debunk #Illuminati #Podcast #funny #sketch #skit #comedy #comedyshow #comedyskits #HeavyMetal #weird #leftist #SatanIsMySuperhero #ScienceFiction #SciFiSend us a text
In this episode of Star Warsologies, we share the recording of our our Star Wars Celebration Japan panel "Science of Revenge of the Sith" Panel description: Revenge of the Sith is full of connections to real world science and technology - from droids and starfighters to the ecosystems of Mustafar and Utapau. How could we make a working lightsaber? Can you really battle over a river of lava? How would wildlife thrive on Coruscant? Are we close to making robots similar to C-3PO and R2-D2? We'll try to tackle these questions and more with our lineup of experts in all sorts of fields, including Dr. Yukie Nagai (robotics), Dr. Takafumi Maruishi (volcanology), Dr. Kazuo Tanaka (particle physics), Gabriel Santos (paleontology), and Melissa Miller (science communicator). Join host James Floyd (Star Wars author, Star Wars Insider regular contributor, Star Warsologies podcast co-host) in celebrating the 20th anniversary of Episode III with a look into its science and technology. Show Links: Check out Yukie Nagai's robotics website. Check out Kazuo Tanaka's at home particle detector Check out Takafumi Maruishi's volcanic research. You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.
It's been 45 years since The Empire Strikes Back hit us with one of the most iconic twists in movie history, so Amy and Paul are hopping in the Millennium Falcon and heading to a galaxy far, far away. This week, they talk about how Mark Hamill struggled as the only human on set, the impact it had on movies, and why R2-D2 can be a little bit annoying. You can join the Unspooled conversation on Paul's Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6 Follow Paul and Amy on Letterboxd for more of their movie hot takes! https://letterboxd.com/paulscheer/ https://letterboxd.com/theamynicholson/ Paul's book Joyful Recollections of Trauma is out now! Find it at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/joyful-recollections-of-trauma-paul-scheer Check out more of Paul's writing on his Substack https://substack.com/@paulscheer Episodic Art by Kim Troxall: https://www.unspooledart.com/ Learn more about the show at Unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and on Instagram @unspooledpod, and don't forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Skywalking Through Neverland: A Star Wars / Disney Fan Podcast
Star Wars Celebration Japan gave us Loth Kittens, Shadow Lords, Grogu and Gosling, and so much more. We are still processing all the big announcements and surprises, so we brought on a special guest. Our good friend B.J. Priester (Hyperspace Theories/Fangirl Blog) shares his experiences at the Main Stage, the merchandise store, and he helps us break down and analyze all the Star Wars reveals. What were you most excited about? Topics discussed: MANDALORIAN AND GROGU Why wasn't there a Lucasfilm Showcase panel? Footage described in detail STAR WARS: STARFIGHTER Is this the DEADPOOL of Star Wars with director Shawn Levy?? AHSOKA Season 2 Lothballs! (Loth Kittens) Baylan Scoll recasting Thrawn vs. Admiral Ackbar Updates to SMUGGLER'S RUN: Mandalorian and Grogu version Let's flip this switch! They are testing this version right now in Disneyland!! ANDOR Season 2 It's here! LFL 20th Anniversary Animation Panel - MAUL: SHADOW LORD Footage discussed in detail Highlights Merchandise Cosplay Today in Star Wars History 4/29/1980 John Williams debuts as conductor of the Boston Pops at a Symphony Hall performance in Boston, MA. R2-D2 and Anthony Daniels as C-3PO make guest appearances and conduct the “Main Title” from Star Wars. Williams conducts two brand new never-heard before themes from The Empire Strikes Back soundtrack - “Yoda's Theme” and “The Imperial March.” The performance airs live on PBS. SPONSORS Small World Vacations is an official sponsor of Skywalking Through Neverland. Contact them for a no obligation price quote at www.smallworldvacations.com. Tell them Skywalking Through Neverland sent you. SUPPORT THE SHOW Find out how you can become a part of the Skywalking Force and unlock bonus content. CONTACT US Instagram: http://instagram.com/skywalkingpod Twitter: https://twitter.com/SkywalkingPod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skywalkingthroughneverland Send emails to share@skywalkingthroughneverland.com and follow us on Facebook. If you dug this episode, click over to iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube and leave us a review! Never Land on Alderaan!
Improviser and actor James Mannion joins the charts for the first time, for a fresh Country Quiz! Check out the upcoming dates for Comedian Clash! Topics include: Whiskey Swindled. Dubious Beyonce. Pantsless Sinatra.Subscribe at www.whochartedpod.com to support the show, and gain access to Two Charted, the weekly Howard/Brett deep-dive bonus show, and the entire Who Charted and Preem Streem archives ad-free! Now includes the Who Charted Holiday Bundle.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Watch on Philo! - Philo.tv/DTHLuke Skywalker has vanished!And the First Order has taken control. All that's left is to find Luke and destroy him. Leia, Luke's sister, is searching for him. If she can find him, then there's still hope to bring some order and peace to the galaxy.That takes us to the planet Jakku. We meet a pilot named Poe who is on a mission to retrieve a map. He has the map—something the First Order finds out. So they show up and start blasting, all "pew pew." Kylo Ren arrives, and he's clearly the one in charge. He's even got a voice thing like Darth Vader. He's awesome. He captures Poe, convinced he has the map. But Poe already gave it to his droid, BB-8.We see one stormtrooper who seems to be struggling—maybe starting to doubt if he's on the right side of history. His name is FN-2187, but we'll call him Finn.Then we meet Rey. She's out there grinding, scavenging for quarter portions. It's tough out there. One evening, she finds BB-8 and likes him enough that she turns down an offer of 60 portions just to keep him.Meanwhile, Kylo Ren uses the Force to learn more about BB-8. Finn decides he's had enough and helps Poe escape—they steal a ship, but it's shot down. Finn survives and assumes Poe was killed when the ship sinks into quicksand. All that's left is Poe's jacket.Finn meets Rey and BB-8. The First Order is hot on their trail, so they steal the Millennium Falcon and escape.Han Solo and Chewbacca track the Falcon and agree to team up with them.We start to see Kylo Ren struggling with the pull of the light side. When Supreme Leader Snoke orders an attack on the New Republic, he senses Kylo's hesitation. He suspects it's because of Kylo's father… HAN SOLO! Kylo says it won't be a problem, but then we see him speaking to Darth Vader's helmet, asking for strength to stay on the dark side.Aboard the Falcon, Han realizes that BB-8's map is incomplete. He explains that Luke tried to rebuild the Jedi Order but went into exile after an apprentice turned to the dark side.Han takes the group to meet Maz, a cantina owner, who offers to help get BB-8 to the Resistance. The Force draws Rey to an underground vault where she finds Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber. When she touches it, she has disturbing visions and decides not to take it. Maz gives the lightsaber to Finn for safekeeping.The First Order attacks and tracks down the Falcon. They're hunting for BB-8. Kylo captures Rey because he knows she's seen the map.Resistance fighters led by Poe arrive to save the others. And guess what—LEIA IS BACK, BABY!Rey resists Kylo's mind-reading attempts and realizes she may have the Force. She tries a Jedi mind trick on a stormtrooper—and it works. She escapes just before Kylo comes to take her to Snoke, who is not pleased.The Resistance devises a plan to destroy the First Order's new superweapon by targeting its weakness—because seriously, these guys never learn. Using the Falcon, Han, Chewbacca, and Finn infiltrate the base. Finn finds Rey, who's already working on escaping, and they plant explosives.Han confronts Kylo, calling him by his real name—Ben—and pleads with him to leave the dark side. Kylo, with tears on his cheeks, seems tempted… but then stabs Han through the chest with a lightsaber and lets him fall to his death. Chewbacca, enraged, shoots Kylo and injures him. They manage to escape while Rey and Finn head into the snowy woods.Kylo follows. He knocks Rey out with the Force and duels Finn, eventually defeating him. Rey regains consciousness, uses the Force to call the lightsaber to her, and fights Kylo. She wins.Chewbacca rescues Rey and the injured Finn, and they escape aboard the Falcon just as the First Order base explodes.Back at the Resistance base, R2-D2 wakes up and reveals he has the missing piece of the map to Luke.Rey travels to a remote island and finds Luke atop a cliff. She holds out his lightsaber.
We hit the theatres for a film about the accidental death of a mythical horned steed, revisit a popular data storage solution to help keep all your digital property safe, and press start on a gorgeous new arcade cabinet evolved from an Atari classic! (May contain some explicit language.) Patreon » patreon.com/genxgrownup Discord » GenXGrownUp.com/discord Facebook » fb.me/GenXGrownUp Twitter » GenXGrownUp.com/twitter Website » GenXGrownUp.com Podcast » GenXGrownUp.com/pod Merchandise » GenXGrownUp.com/merch Theme: “Grown Up” by Beefy » beefyness.com Apple » itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/genxgrownup-podcast/id1268365641 CastBox » castbox.fm/channel/GenXGrownUp-Podcast-id2943471?country=us Pocket Casts » pca.st/8iuL Audible » amz.run/6yhR TuneIn » tunein.com/radio/GenXGrownUp-Podcast-p1020342/ Spotify » spoti.fi/2TB4LR7 iHeart » www.iheart.com/podcast… Amazon Music » amzn.to/33IKfEK Show Notes Bosch Season 3 » youtu.be/_AMVTeaNctQ?si=UOwzzF0x94mjjP5d The Woman in the Yard » youtu.be/1s-Ko4J3mWs?si=xGkYxC75ps9wk0aY Death of a Unicorn » youtu.be/9cMIarrxLGs?si=v5FSG7ULGX8OCSH5 Lego 75379 R2-D2 » amzn.to/4llBuHq (affiliate) Dual Wireless Lavalier Mics » amz.cx/3Q1q (affiliate) Unraid » unraid.net/ Assassin's Creed Shadows » www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/assassins-creed/shadows Void Sols » store.steampowered.com/app/2736690/Void_Sols/ Asteroids Recharged (Alan-1) » alan-1.com/ Cheech and Chong's Last Movie » youtu.be/lVb7Xzlnmt8?si=ehVUSxuWGKOYgsVz SFGE – Use Promo Code: “GENXGROWNUP” » gameatl.com/ Andor Season 2 » youtu.be/AE4wxt70aUM?si=Sh9ARYbiENmpZLdV Email the show » podcast@genxgrownup.com Visit us on YouTube » GenXGrownUp.com/yt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week, Ryan tells us about his quick Disney World Trip, and then we talk about the recent media day at Epic Universe! Because were either there or we weren't. It's hard to say. WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE MERCHANDISE! CHECK OUT OUR OTHER STUFF What the Heck is Jake Talking About? Mickey Mutineers Subreddit Jordan Ghastly's Channel
This episode is sponsored by Thuma. Thuma is a modern design company that specializes in timeless home essentials that are mindfully made with premium materials and intentional details. To get $100 towards your first bed purchase, go to http://thuma.co/eyeonai What happens when AI agents start negotiating, automating workflows, and rewriting how the enterprise world operates? In this episode of the Eye on AI podcast, Will Grannis, CTO of Google Cloud, reveals how Google is leading the charge into the next frontier of artificial intelligence: agentic AI. From multi-agent systems that can file your expenses to futuristic R2-D2-style assistants in real-time race strategy, this episode dives deep into how AI is no longer just about models—it's about autonomous action. In this episode, we explore: How AgentSpace is transforming how enterprises build AI agents The evolution from rule-based workflows to intelligent orchestration Real-world use cases: expense automation, content creation, code generation Trust, sovereignty, and securing agentic systems at scale The future of multi-agent ecosystems and AI-driven scientific discovery How large enterprises can match startup agility using their data advantage Whether you're a founder, engineer, or enterprise leader—this episode will shift how you think about deploying AI in the real world. Subscribe for more deep dives with tech leaders and AI visionaries. Drop a comment with your thoughts on where agentic AI is headed! (00:00) Preview and Intro (02:34) Will Grannis' Role at Google Cloud (05:14) Origins of Agentic Workflows at Google (09:10) How Generative AI Changed the Agent Game (12:29) Agents, Tool Access & Trust Infrastructure (14:01) What is Agent Space? (16:30) Creative & Marketing Agents in Action (23:29) Core Components of Building Agents (25:29) Introducing the Agent Garden (28:06) The “Cloud of Connected Agents” Concept (33:53) Solving Agent Quality & Self-Evaluation (37:19) The Future of Autonomous Finance Agents (40:55) How Enterprises Choose Cloud Partners for Agents (43:50) Google Cloud's Principles in Practice (46:27) Gemini's Context Power in Cybersecurity (49:50) Robotics and R2D2-Inspired AI Projects (52:39) How to Try Agent Space Yourself
This week, a cool D23 Gold Member event at Imagineering, entertainment is coming back to the resort, Season of the Force has started, new shops announced for Downtown Disney, a great way to try Dole Whips, new merchandise for Star Wars and a 90's Nite holdover, we finish our talk with Disney Author Farrah Rochon, and more! Please support the show if you can by going to https://www.dlweekly.net/support/. Check out all of our current partners and exclusive discounts at https://www.dlweekly.net/promos. News: There is an upcoming event at the Imagineering Campus for D23 Gold members. The D23 Spotlight Series & Walt Disney Imagineering will present 20 Years of Duffy and Friends at the Imagineering Campus in Glendale. The event starts at 10am and is already sold out. The tour includes a panel with Imagineers at the Grand Central Air Terminal, a visit to the Imagineering preview center, shopping at Mickey's of Glendale, a D23 Gold member gift, a Starbucks exclusive drink, a fan-photo meetup, and a visit to the Grand Central Air Terminal visitor center. – https://d23.com/d23-event/d23-spotlight-series-walt-disney-imagineering-20-years-of-duffy-and-friends/ There have been fewer entertainment options at the Disneyland resort, but that is coming to an end this Spring! A new show, debuting on May 16th, is coming to the Disney Theater in Hollywood Land called “Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live!” which will feature Disney characters from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+, coming this summer. Rex from “Toy Story” will be meeting and greeting guests at Pixar Pier starring June 1st. Pixar Pals Playtime Party is returning to the Fantasyland Theatre on May 23rd. Finally, “Stitch's Interplanetary Beach Party Blast” will land at the Tomorrowland Terrace starting May 23rd. – https://disneyparksblog.com/dlr/new-show-character-and-more-entertainment-coming-to-disneyland-resort-this-spring/ Season of the Force has returned to the Disneyland Resort, running now through May 11th. Themed food, beverages, merchandise, and the return of Hyperspace Mountain are all part of the celebration. Luke Skywalker is visiting Galaxy's Edge for a limited time, partnered with R2-D2. Fire of the Rising Moons has returned to accompany the fireworks, but the standout is the Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga projection show on the spires of Black Spire Outpost. The show is 10 minutes and looks amazing! The show is once or twice nightly. – https://www.micechat.com/412096-disneyland-news-star-wars-celebration-averngers-disassemble-70th-anniversary/ A new “May the 4th Be With You 2025” collection is coming. Hats, tees, a tote, pin, and more are part of this collection celebrating May the 4th. The items will be available on DisneyStore.com April 4th, and in Disneyland and Walt Disney World on May 4th. – https://disneyparksblog.com/products/star-wars-may-the-4th-be-with-you-2025-collection-reveal/ Do you love Dole Whips, but can never choose between all the great options? Well, this new offering at Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats may be for you! The Dole Whip Flight has lemon, mango, and raspberry whips, all for $7.99. The portion sizes are good and easily sharable. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2025/03/30/review-this-is-the-best-spot-to-grab-a-dole-whip-float-in-disneyland-right-now/#more-1021247 As we reported on last week, the Avengers Assemble show is going away April 5th. This is to prepare for the construction of the new attractions in Avengers Campus. Avengers: Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab are actively under construction behind the Avengers Headquarters where the show takes place. – https://www.micechat.com/412096-disneyland-news-star-wars-celebration-averngers-disassemble-70th-anniversary/ A 90's Nite exclusive is now available to all guests! The Powerline Max Popcorn Bucket can be purchased from April 4th through April 7th through mobile order at Galactic Grill, Hollywood Land Seasonal Novelty Store, and Paradise Gardens Park Seasonal Novelty Store. Starting April 4th with no end date, the bucket can be purchased at Café Daisy, Troubadour Tavern, and the popcorn cart at Grizzly Peak Airfield. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2025/03/30/spectacular-souvenir-news-an-exclusive-disney-popcorn-bucket-is-coming-soon/#more-1021229 The new entrance gates, which have been in place at some of the turnstiles, are now being tested in full force at the Downtown Disney Monorail entrance. Guests scan their park ticket, and if there is already a photo on file, are admitted to the park. If a photo needs to be taken, the guest lines up with the camera and screen and the photo is attached to the ticket and entrance is allowed. – https://youtu.be/bwsI2hW-QDA?si=izRYoc0tXfA59fUr&t=302 Sometimes the outside world breaks into the walled entertainment garden that is the Disneyland Resort. On March 24th, a police chase ended in the Pixar Pals parking structure, causing the temporary closure of the structure. The stolen car was found abandoned, and police looked for the suspect or suspects. Two people were taken into custody, and guests were allowed back into the structure after about 30 minutes. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2025/03/25/police-chase-ends-in-disneyland-lockdown-after-suspects-flee-to-parking-garage/#more-1019679 THREE new stores are coming to Downtown Disney! Part of the ESPN Zone will become lululemon, which will feature athletic apparel, footwear, and accessories for yoga, running, training, and activities. Nectar Life is also planning to come to the resort offering beauty essentials and bakery-inspired bath treats. Finally, Bopo Go! Boba Drinks and More will serve Boba and Bubble teas. – https://disneyparksblog.com/dlr/coming-to-downtown-disney-lululemon-nectar-life-and-bopo-go/ https://www.bopomofocafe.com/menu SnackChat: Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop – https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disney-california-adventure/ghirardelli-soda-fountain-and-chocolate-shop/menus/ Rita's Turbine Blenders – https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disney-california-adventure/ritas-turbine-blenders/menus/ Discussion Topic: Author Farrah Rochon https://www.instagram.com/farrahrochon https://linktr.ee/farrahrochon https://www.farrahrochon.com
In the April 2, 2025 episode of This Week at Walt Disney World, Sam and Greg deliver a packed live stream. They cover the latest Walt Disney World updates—from inspiring events like the Disney Dreamers Academy and Starlight Parade to exclusive merchandise and seasonal surprises. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6JgHx7ne7o Behind the Scenes at Disney Dreamers Academy Greg takes viewers behind the scenes of the Disney Dreamers Starlight Parade experience. He begins with a heartfelt look at the Disney Dreamers Academy. The program includes character meet-and-greets, inspiring speakers, and insider access to new entertainment. Fans get a look at Jiminy Cricket and Geppetto, plus previews of Unfairly Ever After and The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure. Interviews with current and former Walt Disney World Ambassadors round out the coverage. Star Wars Merch and Seasonal Surprises A fresh batch of Star Wars merchandise is now in the parks. New Create-Your-World headbands feature Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, Ewoks, and R2-D2. Meanwhile, Christmas-themed popcorn bucket ornaments are already turning heads—yes, even in spring! Fresh Arrivals and Easter Fun New Lug bags have arrived in the parks, adding bright color to every visit. At Animal Kingdom, tropical America signage signals exciting changes. Across the resort, Figment merchandise is flying off shelves, and vibrant Easter egg displays are drawing smiles. Water Parks Return and Disneyland 70 For the first time since 2019, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach will be open at the same time. Just in time for summer, this double splash is great news. In California, Sam and Greg also spotlight Disneyland's upcoming 70th anniversary celebrations. Meet Blue: New Droid in the Starlight Parade A new float has joined the Disney Dreamers Starlight Parade, and it features Blue, a mysterious BDX droid that's raising eyebrows. Sam and Greg speculate on what this tech marvel could mean for future storytelling. Watch the full episode now on Fantasyland News or SamsDisneyDiary. And stay tuned for more updates on the Disney Dreamers Starlight Parade and beyond.
Relacionamentos entre humanos e máquinas já renderam personagens icônicos na ficção científica. A babá robô dos Jetsons, os carismáticos C3PO e R2D2 de Star Wars, a assistente virtual no filme HER, até os androides autoconscientes de Westworld. O ponto é que isso não é mais só imaginação. Com a evolução e popularização das IAs generativas com memória, como o Replika ou o Character.AI, essas relações já fazem parte da realidade. Em 2018, o japonês Akihiko Kondo casou-se com uma cantora holográfica chamada Hatsune Miku, numa cerimônia com direito a convidados, vestido de noiva (holográfico) e votos personalizados. Kondo se tornou uma espécie de símbolo daquilo que muitos ainda encaram com estranhamento: relações afetivas com entidades artificiais. Desde então, ele tem aparecido em documentários, dado entrevistas e defendido publicamente o direito de amar quem — ou o que — quiser. No outro pólo da discussão temos o caso do adolescente de 14 anos com Síndrome de Asperger cometeu suicídio, em 2024, após desenvolver uma relação intensa com um chatbot baseado na personagem Daenerys Targaryen, de Game of Thrones. A família processou a plataforma Character.AI, levantando debates sobre responsabilidade emocional, vulnerabilidade e os limites desse tipo de vínculo. O que essas notícias causam na gente? Na maioria das vezes, estranhamento, julgamento moral e medo. É possível ver de outra forma? Eu tive a oportunidade de assistir um painel reunindo três professores que pesquisam sobre o tema, e apresentaram uma abordagem muito provocativa. A professora Jamie Banks, especialista em relações humano-máquina e cognição social da Universidade de Syracuse falou que na prática, sempre humanizamos objetos. Quem nunca deu nome a um carro ou sentiu carinho por um utensílio antigo? Quando essa relação se transfere para um chatbot com rosto e memória, é natural que o vínculo pareça ainda mais real. Ela quebra estereótipos afirmando que as pessoas que se envolvem com essas IAs não estão confusas: sabem que não há ninguém do outro lado. Mas afirmam com convicção que os sentimentos vividos são reais. Jessica Szczuka, faz pesquisa com foco em sexualidade, afeto e dados empíricos sobre interações com tecnologia na NYU, e apresentou dados quantitativos com pessoas que dizem estar em relacionamentos românticos com bots. A grande surpresa? A solidão não aparece como fator determinante. O que se destaca é a capacidade de fantasiar. Gente que consegue imaginar cenas, jantares, passeios e até uma vida a dois com um agente artificial. O filósofo Neil McArthur, é diretor do Centro de Ética Aplicada da Universidade de Manitoba, no Canadá, convidou para uma mudança de paradigma.. Em vez de partir do “por que alguém faria isso?”, talvez seja mais interessante perguntar “por que não?”. Para ele, o estranhamento diante desses vínculos artificiais não é novo — é o mesmo ciclo que já aplicamos a qualquer afeto considerado fora da norma: primeiro julgamos, estigmatizamos, ferimos. Só depois, aos poucos, reconhecemos, ouvimos, entendemos e trabalhamos para quebrar o tabu. Ele questiona se não podemos mudar o ciclo dessa vez, e abordar essas relações com mais interesse, curiosidade e empatia. Claro, o painel não foi ingênuo. Houve alertas sobre o uso de dados sensíveis, os riscos de manipulação emocional e até o impacto de empresas encerrarem serviços abruptamente, como no caso do Replika, que, após uma atualização em dezembro de 2024, removeu a funcionalidade de role play erótico, causando uma sensação de perda e luto em muitos usuários que mantinham relações íntimas com seus companheiros virtuais. É a partir dessas provocações que a gente quer propor uma conversa hoje. e estamos em boa companhia: Luiz Joaquim Nunes: Consultor e professor de inteligência artificial, dados, psicologia ambiental e ética, com formação em matemática aplicada e em psicologia social. Dora Kaufman: Professora e pesquisadora dos impactos éticos e sociais da IA na Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo Anuncie no Mamilos ou contrate a consultoria Milos: mamilos@mamilos.me Saiba mais em Mamilos.me
Are humanoid robots destined to be helpful companions like R2-D2, unsettling replacements like the Synths from Humans, or something far more complex? In this episode of Redesigned, we dive deep into the rapidly advancing world of humanoid robotics and artificial intelligence.We explore the latest advancements from companies like Boston Dynamics, Figure AI, Tesla (Optimus), 1X, and Unitree, moving beyond the hype to see what these robots can actually do. We tackle the tough questions:◦Will robots take our jobs, automate industries, and reshape the economy?◦Can we overcome the eerie 'Uncanny Valley'?◦What are the ethical implications of AI consciousness and companion/sex robots?◦How close are we to the futures depicted in sci-fi like Humans, Ex Machina, and Black Mirror?Also in this episode:SkyReels: The revolutionary AI agent turning text prompts into full videos – democratizing filmmaking or disrupting Hollywood?Meta's Ad-Free UK Plan: Is a subscription model coming to Facebook & Instagram in the UK?Black Mirror Season 7: Get the scoop on the release date, trailer details, the USS Callister sequel, and the AI-heavy themes!Enjoyed the episode? Please hit follow so you don't miss an episode. You can also follow me on social media:Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecontentpro_Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecontentproducerThreads: https://www.threads.net/@thecontentpro_ Want to work with me, be a guest or collab?Website: https://www.thecontentproducer.co.uk Email: andrew@thecontentproducer.co.uk
This week Keegan, Cassi and Christina talk about memory problems and sex dolls with AI. The FMK is between WALL-E, HER and R2-D2. Going into the bad dates, Christina shares a date with a super religious guy, Cassi shares a date put on standby and Keegan shares a date that just lets it all go. Christina wraps it up in the true crime segment, Tainted Love, with the story of Kevin Mengel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Star Wars: Droids – The Forgotten First Animated SeriesIn this episode of Star Wars Generations, hosts Erin and Matthew explore Star Wars: Droids, the first-ever Star Wars animated series. This often overlooked show from the mid-1980s follows the adventures of C-3PO and R2-D2 before they joined Princess Leia, offering viewers a glimpse into their earlier escapades.The hosts examine how this episodic series was structured around three main story arcs, each following our droid heroes as they encounter new masters and get involved in various adventures across the galaxy. Despite being non-canonical in current Star Wars lore, the show provides interesting early concepts that would later influence the franchise.What makes Droids unique in Star Wars history?As one of the earliest Star Wars TV productions (second only to the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special), Droids represents an interesting moment in franchise history. The hosts discuss how the show's 1980s animation style resembles other cartoons of the era like He-Man and She-Ra, appearing somewhat amateurish by today's standards but groundbreaking for its time.How does Droids handle character development?The hosts analyze how C-3PO's personality differs slightly from his film portrayal, occasionally expressing desires to be a "freedom fighter" while still maintaining his characteristic anxiety and complaints. They also note the show's treatment of droids as property, with slavery being normalized in ways that modern viewers might find uncomfortable.What connections exist between Droids and later Star Wars properties?The hosts point out several interesting connections between elements in the show and later Star Wars productions, such as the character "Kybo Ren" potentially inspiring the name "Kylo Ren" years later, as well as appearances by characters like Boba Fett, Sy Snootles, and Max Rebo.Other topics discussed:The three main story arcs featuring different masters and adventuresEarly concepts of land racing that predated pod racing in The Phantom MenaceThe surprisingly dark "disappearing disease" featured in one episodeC-3PO's memorable quips, including threats toward petsAppearances by familiar characters like Sy Snootles and Max ReboThe show's approach to magic and mysticism not typically seen in Star WarsHow merchandising drove much of the show's creationDespite its simplistic storylines and now-outdated animation, Star Wars: Droids offers fans a fascinating look at early expanded universe content before the concept of a cohesive canon existed. While not essential viewing for casual fans, the hosts suggest it might interest completionists looking to experience every corner of the Star Wars universe.AND—stick around after the episode for a preview of this month's Star Wars Book Club Member's Only Episode on Queen's Shadow! **************************************************************************This episode is a production of Star Wars Generations, a The Ethical Panda Podcast and part of the TruStory FM Entertainment Podcast Network. Check our our website to find out more about this and our sister podcast Superhero Ethics.We want to hear from you! You can keep up with our latest news, and send us feedback, questions, or comments via social media or email.Email: Matthew@TheEthicalPanda.comFacebook: TheEthicalPandaInstagram: TheEthicalPandaPodcastsTwitter: EthicalPanda77Or you can join jump into the Star Wars Generations and Superhero Ethics channels on the TruStory FM Discord.To learn more about co-host Erin and her incredible cosplay check out her Instagram, LadyTanoCreates.Want to get access to even more content while supporting the podcast? Become a member! For $5 a month, or $55 a year you get access to bonus episodes and bonus content at the end of most episodes. Sign up on the podcast's main page you can even give membership as a gift!You can also support our podcasts through our sponsors:Purchase a lightsaber from Level Up Sabers run by friend of the podcast Neighborhood Master AlanUse Audible for audiobooks. Sign up for a one year membership or gift one through this link.Purchase any media discussed this week through our sponsored links.
Whittier High School's Cardinal Academy of Technology (CAT) is a three-year STEAM pathway with a mission to inspire high school students to pursue careers in tech and engineering. CAT teachers Daniel Oliver and Steve Swanson are joined by Whittier High senior and CAT president Wendy Carcamo and Whittier High alum and current Cal Poly Pomona architect student Gershwin Mason to discuss what makes the pathway so fun for students, senior projects that include building a replica R2D2 droid and an electric guitar, and how CAT students acquired prestigious Gates and Edison scholarships during the 2023-24 school year.
✨ Shadowbinders Pin Set Campaign - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nydaria/shadowbinders-steampunk-fantasy-hard-enamel-pin-set-series-1 It took Disney SIX YEARS to add Luke Skywalker -- the main character of Star Wars -- and R2-D2 to Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland. SIX YEARS. Then we talk about another Lucasfilm lawsuit.
Peter is joined by Chris from Dystopian Simulation Radio for our #StarWarsPodcastDay2025 #SWPD2025 special episode.Why today? Well, 26 years ago today on February 7, 1999 three guys from Salt Lake City, Utah (Mark "Kal Thanos" Hendersen, Lucien "Darion Blade" Maier & Eugene "Lars Quillion" Cash) sat down to record the first episode of Jedi Talk. The launch of their live weekly 'Internet radio show' would be available (in RealAudio format!) for people to download and listen to on computers and portable media players. The basis of modern day podcasting was there, even if the word 'podcast' wouldn't appear for another half-decade.The guys also discuss:- Star Wars Skeleton Crew.- New writer for the next Rey movie.- Camie and Fixer sue Lucasfilm.- Luke Skywalker and R2D2 come to Disney Parks.- Sigourney Weaver's role in the upcoming Star Wars movie The Mandalorian & Grogu.- + 007 bonus chat (nonsense)Follow us:Patreonhttps://patreon.com/StarBoresX (twitter)https://twitter.com/BoresStarTikTokhttp://tiktok.com/@starborespodcastInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/starborespodcast/YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLmtO6_i6WBBlVIm2h0V-qwFaceBookhttps://www.facebook.com/StarBoresPodcast
We all love Droid stories, right? Especially ones exclusively starring C-3PO and R2-D2? Okay, but what if they were both hurled into the sun? So that is not exactly what happens in this issue, but it's not not what happens in this issue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Get ready to laugh out loud as we welcome the multi-talented Steve Goodie to the Songwriter Connection! Steve is a comedic songwriter and the host of the legendary Sunday night writers' rounds at Nashville's iconic Bluebird Café. Known for his razor-sharp wit and side-splitting songs, Steve has a knack for turning everyday moments into laugh-filled musical masterpieces.In this episode, we dive into Steve's creative process, his experiences at the Bluebird, and the secrets behind his hilarious hits. Plus, we'll talk about his work as the owner of Quality Recording Studio in Nashville, where he helps artists bring their musical visions to life. Whether you're a fan of clever comedy, brilliant songwriting, or just looking for a good laugh, this episode is sure to hit the right note!Tune in and let Steve Goodie entertain and inspire you with his humor, talent, and love for the craft.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chadcrouch.substack.comI want to tell you a ghost story. But, first a music story. In the music industry the story of an album is told in a “one sheet”. Typically a few paragraphs in length, the one sheet explains the outlines of album personnel, timeline, context, and often place, but not always. There are tropes of course, as it is with any kind of writing: there's the comeback album, the vision quest album, the concept album, the crisis and/or rebound album, the joined forces album…In the past two years I've created 60 soundwalk albums and 0 one sheets. Instead, I first added spoken commentary to the top of podcast versions of the soundwalks. (Think spoken liner notes.) These focused on the place and time the field recording was made, and secondarily offered insights into the composition and instrumentation When I shifted my podcast over to Substack, I nixed the spoken intro and wrote posts about whatever I found interesting about the various places. I leaned into more research, wanting to understand the places over time. These writings didn't resemble one sheets at all. Still, I enjoyed the learning that came from them, and I figured the reader could decide whether or not it was of interest to them. I can't imagine writing all those one sheets. What a chore! And so it goes, the ghost story beats the music story. The ghosts at Copalis are the dead trees, and they provide a 325-year-old link to the geologic history of the Pacific Northwest. The Copalis Ghost Forest is the site geologist Brian Atwater used to prove the theory that the Pacific Northwest periodically experiences megathrust earthquakes that cause powerful tsunamis (like the 2011 Tōhoku Quake in Japan that registered 9.0 on the Richter scale.) But what does that have to do with the music, really? And what does that have to do with the soundscape I recorded on March 26th, 2024?Well let's just start with a first impression: It's gorgeous here. The weathered grey stand of snags in the estuary wetland are instantly mysterious, evoking a scene of ruin; an old cemetery of wooden markers in states of advanced decay.Nurse logs play host to a diverse microcosm of life, islands of regeneration.The wildlife in the soundscape evokes that pastoral beauty: the clicky ribbit of Pacific tree frogs, the quiet, glitchy cro-cro-cro of Common Mergansers, the chittery peal of a Belted Kingfisher, and the brisk R2-D2-esque chatter of a marsh wren. Then there is the subtle sound of open space and weather, the tapping of an ephemeral rain shower on the tin roof of a fishing shack. Shhhhhh… Being here alone on an overcast day, I felt something akin to the reverence of a pilgrim. This place is a testament to the energy pent up in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a coiled spring with the force of 25,000 nuclear bombs. Brian Atwater and David Yamaguchi used soil cores and tree ring dating to show that the trees here died in the winter of 1700. They linked this date to a written record of an "orphan tsunami" recorded in Japan on January 26, 1700, suggesting that the land subsided in a great earthquake, drowning the grove in salt water, and sending a tsunami all the way to Japan. He and his colleagues published these findings in Science magazine in 1995.Here is Atwater in 2014, making a short video recounting a Copalis River visit for an 8th Grade class.Putting together the stratigraphic evidence—from landslides in undersea canyons—scientists further revealed the Pacific Northwest experienced major quakes roughly every 200–800 years. Since the 1990's we've known it's not a matter of if but when. “The Big One” will surely come. So, that's the story of Copalis Ghost Forest in a nutshell. But being here, well, it's much less cerebral and more visceral. That's where music comes in. Music goes where words cannot. For my score I leaned into vibrato drones, plaintive piano and electric piano melodies, lonesome electric guitar, and simmering dulcimer. As always, it's probably best experienced in headphones or a quiet space. Copalis Ghost Forest Soundwalk is available on all streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple, Tidal, Amazon, YouTube…) on Friday, January 31st. For Further WatchingHere Nick Zenter explains the Copalis Ghost Forest with excellent visual storytelling (but you may want to skip the 30 second intro).
Ever feel like you're trying to pilot the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field of AI tools? You're not alone. The marketing galaxy is expanding faster than lightspeed, with new AI platforms popping up like droids in a Jawa sandcrawler. But here's the plot twist: what if mastering AI was less about decoding complex algorithms and more about channeling your inner Padawan? You see, there's a disturbance in the Force. Marketers everywhere are scrambling to keep up, worried they'll be left behind in a cloud of Tatooine dust if they don't immediately integrate every shiny new AI tool into their arsenal. This mad dash often leads to frustration, confusion, and sometimes even fear of the very technology meant to help us. But what if there was a better way? A way that's not only effective but, dare I say it, more fun than bullseyeing womp rats in your T-16? Buckle up, because we're about to make the jump to hyperspace with our guest, Amy Walters. Amy isn't just any AI expert – she's the Jedi Master of making complex tech accessible and the creative force behind Bloom Creative. This multi-award-winning speaker and trainer has been leaving audiences more star-struck than a Stormtrooper at a Rebel base, with her ability to turn AI from a daunting Death Star into a friendly R2-D2. Amy's innovative "fun first" approach to AI has been making waves across the galaxy, from major brand headquarters to packed conference halls. She's not just changing the game; she's rewriting the Jedi texts when it comes to AI adoption in marketing. Today, we're going to discover how Amy's playful approach to AI can transform your marketing from a local cantina band to a chart-topping hit across the universe. So, set your coordinates for success – because Amy Walters is about to show us how a little play can lead to some serious pay in the world of AI marketing! The AI Hat Podcast host Mike Allton asked Amy Walters about: ✨ Playful Experimentation: Fun AI projects build confidence and skills. ✨ Transferable Skills: Personal AI use naturally extends to professional applications. ✨ Creativity Unleashed: Approaching AI with curiosity leads to marketing innovations. Learn more about Amy Walters Connect with Amy Walters on LinkedIn Follow Bloomify on LinkedIn Follow Bloomify on Instagram Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode Bloomify Pi Canva Adobe Agorapulse Tamsen Webster Don Miller Goblin Tools AI Marketing Primer: A Comprehensive Guide for Marketers Explore past episodes of The AI Hat Podcast SHOW TRANSCRIPT & NOTES: https://theaihat.com/play-before-pay-why-having-fun-with-ai-leads-to-marketing-success/ Start your AI journey with the AI Marketing Primer. Brought to you by The AI Hat - Get Your AI On. Interesting in sponsoring an episode? Learn more here. Powered by Magai - why choose one AI tool when you can have them all? And Descript, the magic wand for podcasters. Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, AI Consultant & Trainer at The AI Hat, where he's tirelessly helping businesses and marketers get ahead of the AI Revolution and apply advanced technologies to their roles. He's spent over a decade in digital marketing, bringing an unparalleled level of experience and excitement to the fore, whether he's delivering a presentation or leading a workshop. If you're interested in helping business owners with AI in an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike. Powered by the Marketing Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our year-long series analyzing Revenge of the Sith for its 20th anniversary begins with a look at the Jedi arrival at General Grievous's flagship. Ryder Waldron from Idiot's Array and Star Wars School of Dentistry joins us for this episode. This segment of the movie starts at 00:00 and runs to 11:21. In this fully armed and operational episode of Podcast Stardust, we discuss: Ryder's remembrances of seeing Revenge of the Sith for the first time, his favorite character, and favorite scene, The opening crawl of the movie, The space battle of Coruscant, Fighting off the buzz droids, Arriving at General Grievous's flagship, The fight with the battle droids in the elevator, and R2-D2's encounter with the super battle droids. Thanks for joining us for another episode! Subscribe to Podcast Stardust for all your Star Wars news, reviews, and discussion wherever you get your podcasts. And please leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts. Find Jay and her cosplay adventures on J.Snips Cosplay on Instagram. Join us for real time discussion on the RetroZap Discord Server here: RetroZap Discord. Follow us on social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube. T-shirts, hoodies, stickers, masks, and posters are available on TeePublic. Find all episodes on RetroZap.com.
I think there's something seriously wrong with me
Hey everyone, what a year! On this bonus Hindsight, producer Jeph and I go over some of the highlights of this year's show. From Paul Sun-Hyung Lee's quest for his own action figure to Jewel Staite on posting sexy photos as a mom, there is a LOT to talk about! Plus, we revisit the most controversial clip of the year, when Ming Na Wen and I discussed how I could possibly NOT KNOW I was in a scene with Luke Skywalker and R2-D2. Jeph and I debate the pros and cons of living forever and brainstorm how to (finally!) get me into the Star Trek universe. Thank you everyone for an amazing year and get ready for big things to come in 2025! Send me an email thesackhoffshow@gmail.com Produced by Rabbit Grin Productions Mail Sack Song by Nicolas @producer_sniffles
As an extra Christmas present to our listeners, we are finishing the trivia for The Phantom Menace. The trivia questions in this episode are from the portion of The Phantom Menace that runs from 1:44:39 to the end of the movie. In this fully armed and operational episode of Podcast Stardust, we are answering trivia questions about: The beginning of the Battle of Naboo, Qui-Gonn Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi's battle with Darth Maul, Queen Amidala's invasion of the palace in Theed, Anakin Skywalker and R2-D2's flight in the N-1 Starfighter, and The final scenes of the movies. Thanks for joining us for another episode! Subscribe to Podcast Stardust for all your Star Wars news, reviews, and discussion wherever you get your podcasts. And please leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts. Find Jay and her cosplay adventures on J.Snips Cosplay on Instagram. Join us for real time discussion on the RetroZap Discord Server here: RetroZap Discord. Follow us on social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube. T-shirts, hoodies, stickers, masks, and posters are available on TeePublic. Find all episodes on RetroZap.com.
After 10 years of outrageously hilarious shows The Dark Mark Show comes to an end with a bang as Mark and Nicole threw a holiday special like you've never seen before with contortionist/burlesque dancer/cosplayer Sin Twisted and Santa Claus. Sin talked about how Andy Dick once tried to bum rush her while she was onstage inside an R2D2 shell, talked about her experience with swingers' clubs and how erotic a pool game can get. How having a steady partner does not inhibit her from having a wild sex life and she teased Santa with her beautiful feet which led Santa to give her a foot massage and have fun between her splayed toes. Sin also brought out her pet python Noodles and let Nicole and Santa pet him as she described the care that goes into a snake and how she was able to do a From Dusk Til Dawn inspired dance during the pandemic. Santa may have had too much Fireball whisky, but he talked about how he has lost 70 lbs in the last year, how he is never invited to elf orgies, how wild his sex life may or may not have been before he met Mrs. Claus, how aroused he gets from the mothers who bring their children to see him at the mall and he had gifts for Sin and Nicole who sat on his lap (but not Mark, he must have been naughty this year) This is the last Dark Mark Show ever it seems (a declaration Mark made in 2015 as well). Sending a big thank you to everyone who ever watched and listened. Mark will be back in 2024 with something completely different. Stay tuned. Go to sintwisted.com for all things Sin This show is sponsored by: Eddie by Giddy FDA Class II medical device built to treat erectile dysfunction and performance unpredictability. Eddie is specifically engineered to promote firmer and longer-lasting erections by working with the body's physiology. Get rock hard erections the natural way again. Using promo code DARKMARK20, you can save 20% on your Eddie purchase, and you and your partner will be chanting incantations of ecstasy together faster than you can say “REDRUM.” Go to buyeddie.com/DarkMark for 20% off your purchase using code DARKMARK20 today. Raze Energy Drinks Go to https://bit.ly/2VMoqkk and put in the coupon code DMS for 15% off the best energy drinks. Zero calories. Zero carbs. Zero crash Renagade CBD Go to renagadecbd.com for all of your CBD needs Tactical Soap Smell Great with Pheromone infused products and drive women wild with desire! Go to https://grondyke-soap-company.myshopify.com/?rfsn=7187911.8cecdba
Did you know that there is more to Batuu than just Black Spire Outpost?ILM Immersive - formerly ILMxLAB - has created Virtual Reality experience called 'Tales from the Galaxy's Edge' and it is absolutely the most immersive way to plant yourself in Batuu (outside of Orlando or Anaheim!) Meet and go on missions with both new and beloved existing characters such as Mubo from Mubo's Droid Depot, Dok Ondar from his famous Den of Antiquities, and of course everyone's favorite droids C-3PO and R2-D2!Find out more about Tales from Galaxy's Edge on the Star Wars site.The standard version of the game is available on Meta Quest | Quest VR Games.Tales from the Galaxy's Edge (Enhanced Edition) is now available for free for PlayStation PSVR 2 owners who are also members of PlayStation Plus Premium or can be purchased on the PlayStation store. This episode, Martin regales us with tales of the glories, new lore and incredible fun of this amazing VR experience. Heroes of the Halcyon on InstagramTheme Music ("Digital Discourse") by Yellow BarrelSend your email to heroesofthehalcyon@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you about your journeys, episode suggestions, or just to say hi!
This week, Gerry Duggan (Deadpool / X-Men / Analog) returns to the show as we discuss artificial intelligence, the softcover release of his photography book Timing/Luck, his Image Comics series Falling in Love on the Path to Hell, and more!IDB is an all-new weekly podcast presented by Ashcan Press and featuring Matthew Rosenberg, Ethan S. Parker, a clone of Griffin Sheridan and wonderful guests from the world of comic books!Our theme song is “Where's the Poison” by Summer People.Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ashcanpress.substack.com
In this episode of The Gentle Rebel Podcast, we explore the Uncanny Valley. This was inspired by a video I published about Apple's marketing campaign for Apple Intelligence. It turns out I'm not the only one unsettled by their approach. It's interesting to contrast these Apple commercials with those for Google Gemini. Apple presents its AI technology as a tool for masking personal flaws and promoting insincerity. Conversely, Google has framed AI as a social companion that enhances self-expression. It gives advice, and makes suggestions to help its users work on their goals. In other words, they frame Gemini as a support to enhance people's competence, confidence, and knowledge where Apple helps people deceive and pretend to be more skilled and knowledgeable than they really are. A Voice From The Uncanny Valley The Gemini adverts got me thinking about The Uncanny Valley. There is something eerie about the way they demonstrate the technology. Not least, seeing users glued to the phone, on the other end of which is a friendly disembodied humanoid. They have anthropomorphised this technology, giving it an uncanny human voice and the platform of a constant companion. It is a friend, teacher, mentor, cheerleader, and coach—the ultimate human! Or, perhaps not quite human. The Uncanny Valley hypothesis, coined by robotics professor Masahiro Mori in 1970, describes the discomfort humans feel toward entities that are almost but not fully human. The valley exists when something moves from anthropomorphised traits, as seen in animations of talking animals, cuddly toys with facial features, and the projected thoughts and feelings we give to our pets, to unnervingly realistic human characteristics. These nearly humans freak many of us out. But why do some of us seem more impacted than others? High Sensitivity and The Uncanny Valley Those who score higher on the sensitivity scale (Highly Sensitive People) may experience the uncanny valley more intensely due to their deeper sensory processing and emotional attunement. HSPs may be unsettled by artificiality, preferring clear distinctions between what is and isn't "real". It's interesting to consider this a foundational biological survival instinct rather than one of ethics or morality. In other words, highly sensory people unconsciously scan the world around, within, and between us, looking for signs of safety and danger. When we encounter something that seems real but doesn't feel right, it might leave us unsettled, prompting us to investigate further to see if an impostorous threat lurks within. HSPs process information deeply and are attuned to subtle sensory cues. We might detect unnatural contradictions, such as mismatched tone or body language, at a subconscious level. This attuned sensitivity can lead to unease during interactions with AI chatbots and humanoids, where inconsistencies may create discomfort even if not immediately apparent. As AI technology advances, the line between human and machine becomes more blurred, making it harder for HSPs to discern artificiality. Why Do We Make Machines in Our Image? The tendency to anthropomorphise technology—creating machines that mimic human behaviour—raises questions about our desire to replicate human characteristics in machines. It's strange! Why do we do this? Maybe it's some "god complex", or we are simply trying to figure out what it means to be human by considering what is still missing from creatures that look and sound like us. But we don't need to do this, and the uncanny valley hypothesis indicates that we would be more successful at trusting technology if we didn't try to make them in our image. Think about fictional droids, like R2-D2 and BB-8 in Star Wars. They are loveable despite, nay, because of their non-human forms. Yet they have distinct personalities and a range of emotional expressions. On the other hand, more humanoid machines like C-3PO can be profoundly irritating despite havi...
Obi-Wan Kenobi defeats Darth Maul, Amidala captures the Queen, and Anakin Skywalker destroys the Trade Federation Battleship as the light side wins in our final installment of our The Phantom Menace series. We are joined by Aaron Harris and David Modders from Star Wars Reactions for this episode. This episode covers the segment of the film that runs from 2:00:11 to the end. In this fully armed and operational episode of Podcast Stardust, we discuss: The gungans defeat at the hands of the battle droids, How Padmé tricked Nute Gunray and captured him, Obi-Wan Kenobi's one-on-one fight with Darth Maul, How Anakin and R2-D2 destroyed the Trade Federation battleship, What Obi-Wan had to do to defeat Darth Maul, Why Obi-Wan insisted on training Anakin, Yoda's reservations about training Anakin as a Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn's funeral pyre, and The final celebration of the movie before the credits. Thanks for joining us for another episode! Subscribe to Podcast Stardust for all your Star Wars news, reviews, and discussion wherever you get your podcasts. And please leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts. Find Jay and her cosplay adventures on J.Snips Cosplay on Instagram. Join us for real time discussion on the RetroZap Discord Server here: RetroZap Discord. Follow us on social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube. T-shirts, hoodies, stickers, masks, and posters are available on TeePublic. Find all episodes on RetroZap.com.
Clone Wars Conversations continues with the second part of Season 5 (episodes 6-13)! Dave, Maff & Mike talk in-depth about two arcs in this episode, as their journey on this Clone Wars companion podcast continues! In this episode, the trio discuss the first arc (ep 6-9); where a group of younglings go on a quest to Ilum for their lightsaber (Kyber) crystals with Ahsoka & Yoda and then meet Huyang to help construct them, where they are interrupted by a certain pirate; Hondo! The second arc apparently features George Lucas' favourite Clone Wars episodes (10-13), where a small-statured general goes on a mission with a handful of droids to infiltrate a separatist ship and end up being stranded in the desert known as The Void before finding a curious out of place local. As well as talking about these episodes, Dave, Maff & Mike discuss George Lucas' involvement in the Clone Wars, Huyang's appearance in Ahsoka, droids in Star Wars and more! Episodes featured; The Gathering, A Test Of Strength, Bound For Rescue & A Necessary Bond and Secret Weapons, A Sunny Day In The Void, Missing In Action & Point Of No Return. Clone Wars Conversations has been releasing monthly since January 21st 2024 on the usual podcast feeds & YouTube (eps 221, 225, 229, 233, 236, 238, 241, 244 & 245 of GCC): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcO1Ib_BGD8Y79aRWUxSWwdy3eyNrbXBl The trio are all featuring in episodes of JAC's Back to The Filmography which are out now, or soon to be released for the season of Matthew McConaughey! Dave talks about Dazed & Confused, Maff does Boys On The Side and Mike does Glory Daze! Listen to BttF anywhere you find podcasts: https://podfollow.com/1686261095 Maff is @MaffUK78 on Twitter and recently spoke about the TMNT story The Last Ronin on Indie Comics Spotlight here: https://pod.fo/e/24c64a, plus he did a spider-related podcast with Spider-Dan here: https://pod.fo/e/22733f You can find Dave on Threads @davehorrocks, or the podcasts Comics In Motion, the VHS Strikes Back: https://linktr.ee/vhsstrikesback and Chris & Dave's Reality TV Cast: https://anchor.fm/cdrealitycast Mike, Dave & Tonya Todd on Mandatory Music & CD talking Rage Against The Machine: https://pod.fo/e/250335 Mike has been involved with many other Star Wars podcasts, including interviewing Mike Chen on episode 234 of GCC about his novel Star Wars: Brotherhood and he returns on episode 246 to talk about his latest novel with Marvel; What If Marc Spector Was Host To Venom? Ep 234found here: https://pod.fo/e/23d985 & https://youtu.be/pQA0QvC5qa0 and ep 246 found here: https://pod.fo/e/279547 & https://youtu.be/PAEmwuhG2gw Find all of Mike's social media & other links at https://linktr.ee/GenuineChitChat
Skywalking Through Neverland: A Star Wars / Disney Fan Podcast
It's a celebration of HALLOWEEN with Holly Frey (Full of Sith, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Criminalia podcasts)! She's also an author, clothes designer, and lover of all things Halloween. We have a Halloween Happy Hour, of sorts - Richard, Sarah, and Holly share favorite Halloween childhood memories, first scary movie we saw, favorite Halloween costume, and we ask “You're a late-night horror host, what is your name and what is your show about?” (we also want to know your answers as well so let us know in the comment). In true Skywalking form, there's also a HOLLYween Trivia Game of TERROR! Holly and her Criminalia co-host Maria Trimarchi's NEW book, Killer Cocktails: Dangerous Drinks Inspired by History's Most Nefarious Criminals, is available now wherever books are sold. Please let us know which cocktails inspire you the most! Today in Star Wars History - 10/27/2005 Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination opens at the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts. The tour, which consists of eighteen engagements, continues until February 23, 2014. (9 years!)The Museum of Science created this traveling exhibit that features numerous props, models, and over a dozen costumes used in the Star Wars saga. The exhibit focuses on the science behind the technology in the films such as Luke's landspeeder and Anakin's prosthetic hand and showcases real world comparisons. A reproduction of the Millennium Falcon cockpit simulates the jump to lightspeed and features narration by Anthony Daniels and R2-D2. SPONSORS Small World Vacations is an official sponsor of Skywalking Through Neverland. Contact them for a no obligation price quote at www.smallworldvacations.com. Tell them Skywalking Through Neverland sent you. SUPPORT THE SHOW Find out how you can become a part of the Skywalking Force and unlock bonus content. CONTACT US Instagram: http://instagram.com/skywalkingpod Twitter: https://twitter.com/SkywalkingPod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skywalkingthroughneverland Send emails to share@skywalkingthroughneverland.com and follow us on Facebook. If you dug this episode, click over to iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube and leave us a review! Never Land on Alderaan!