GeekNights

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about the dangers of trying to mandate age verification on the Internet. In the news, Discord embarks on a disastrous age verification scheme, Anthropic is mad that other "AI" companies are using their product, and Goldman Sachs launches an AI-free index.Related LinksForum ThreadAge Verification on the InternetDiscord ChatAge Verification on the InternetBluesky PostAge Verification on the InternetThings of the DayRym - Unicode ExplorerScott - The Sharp PC-2000 Computer Boombox from 1979

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about The Muppets. They were formative in the youth of our generation, and they are timeless. In the news, Ryan Dancey found out how little gamers like generative AI, the US president is about to attack Iran to distract from the Epstein files, and the Democrats have rightly denied the DHS funding until it reigns in ICE. Write your senators every day with a simple message: "abolish ICE."Related LinksForum ThreadThe MuppetsDiscord ChatThe MuppetsBluesky PostThe MuppetsThings of the DayRym - Every Time the Halo Saved a Driver's LifeScott - Flashpoint Archive

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Paris Connection, also known as SNCF: France & Germany. It's no 1817, but it's a distilled real train game that's worth playing. In the news, Overwatch 1 is back and Diablo 2 is back.Related LinksForum ThreadParis ConnectionDiscord ChatParis ConnectionBluesky PostParis ConnectionThings of the DayRym - Canada Curling ControverseyScott - Battlegroup Clash: Baltics

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss our respective morning routines. How do you spend your mornings? In the news, skyrocketing RAM prices delay the Valve Steam Machine (along with the controller, and Steam Frame), NVIDIA isn't releasing new videocards for the same reason, bitcoin is (finally) collapsing, and someone left Horatio at the Goodwill.Related LinksForum ThreadOur Morning RoutinesDiscord ChatOur Morning RoutinesBluesky PostOur Morning RoutinesThings of the DayRym - The Bird Someone Has To Take When Your Aunt DiesScott - ReKindle

Tonight on GeekNights, we review the early access version of 9 Kings. It's got some good things going on. In the news, the Switch is now the highest selling Nintendo console and the Switch 2 is the fastest selling Nintendo console. Swords Without Master is launching more broadly, and Scott is considering running a game. Also Congress has a chance to dismantle ICE: Call your senators.Related LinksForum Thread9 Kings (early access)Discord Chat9 Kings (early access)Bluesky Post9 Kings (early access)Things of the DayRym - How to operate a Carbon ArcScott - Emudevc

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss webcams. In the news, ICE murdered another person in broad daylight with video and witnesses, and Senate Democrats are willing to shut the government down over continued funding of ICE. Call your senators today. No funds for ICE: abolish, dismantle, and prosecute.In other news, Europe may ban Elon Musk's nonconsensual porn machine and France is planning to build a video conferencing tool to reduce dependence on American technology.Related LinksForum ThreadWebcamsDiscord ChatWebcamsBluesky PostWebcamsThings of the DayRym - RESOURCE: Just how advanced WERE the Maya?Scott - Ignoring Lithium Battery Safety Warnings.. For Science!

Tonight on GeekNights we review The Running Man (1987 film) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Richard Dawson. In the news, the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO along with regional bodies throughout the state have called for statewide labor action in Minnesota over the brutality of ICE. The crazy house we rented once in Wildwood NJ is for sale, and the New York Sirens are on the verge of selling out MSG despite drawing tiny crowds in New Jersey (proving once again that few want to go to New Jersey on purpose).Related LinksForum ThreadThe Running Man (1987 Arnold Version)Discord ChatThe Running Man (1987 Arnold Version)Bluesky PostThe Running Man (1987 Arnold Version)Things of the DayRym - Puppet tests from Fantastic Mr FoxScott - “Food JPEGs” in Super Smash Bros & Kirby Air Riders

Tonight on GeekNights, we review Big Shot (2001). If you want some vicious auctions this is the game for you. In the news, the United States is in extreme crisis threatening to invade Greenland, invade Minnesota, terrorize the city of Minneapolis, and end the global world order as we know it. Also Mothership has good videogame journalism. Call your reps to tell them to defund ICE.Related LinksForum ThreadBig Shot (2001)Discord ChatBig Shot (2001)Bluesky PostBig Shot (2001)Things of the DayRym - Here's Why New Year's Eve is Bad NowScott - Multi-Year Diary Gate

Tonight on GeekNights, we review a card game called Magic: The Gathering. It's 32 years old, so you may not have heard of it. In the news, gamers don't like generative AI and The Game Awards happened. Rym posted his [video editing process](https://community.frontrowcrew.com/t/the-geeknights-lecture-video-process/3683 for producing GeekNights panel and lecture videos. We will be live at Super MAGFest 2026!Related LinksForum ThreadMagic: The Gathering (1993)Discord ChatMagic: The Gathering (1993)Bluesky PostMagic: The Gathering (1993)Things of the DayRym - The Shoebody BopScott - The Big Laugh 1 Hour Better Loop

Tonight on the GeekNights Book Club, we discuss Jacqueline Harpman's phenomenal I Who Have Never Known Men.I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman is a dystopian sci-fi novel. It was originally written in French and published in 1995. It was not very well known until recently it surged in popularity.This renewed interest in the book is not unfounded. Although it is only thirty years old, I was convinced it was at least twenty years older. It reads much like the foundational dystopian sci-fi novels like 1984, Fahrenheit 451, or Brave New World.It tells the story of a woman who has lived her entire life in a prison. She has no memory of anything else. In the prison cell are only women. The other women do remember life before the prison, but nothing else. They don’t know why they are there, and assume they will never be let out. From that point, various events begin to unfold.Related LinksForum ThreadBook Club: I Who Have Never Known MenDiscord ChatBook Club: I Who Have Never Known MenBluesky PostBook Club: I Who Have Never Known Men

Tonight on GeekNights, we share our early thoughts on Dispatch and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. In the news, Frankfurt's Christmas market is lit, and the Netflix x Warner Brothers Discovery situation is even more dangerous than the baseline danger of capitalist consolidation of media.Related LinksForum ThreadInitial Thoughts on Dispatch and Metroid Prime 4Discord ChatInitial Thoughts on Dispatch and Metroid Prime 4Bluesky PostInitial Thoughts on Dispatch and Metroid Prime 4Things of the DayRym - Wabie - Crazy Beans!Scott - Flipbook of the Rings

Tonight on GeekNights we review the historical and topical 23 Knives (2025). It's worth playing, and Rym is probably going to buy it. In the news, PAX Unplugged 2025 was smooth as butter, Doodle Puzzle is a good idea that's hard to make work, Gingham is more vicious than it appears, and Scott surprisingly is enjoying Octopath Traveler.Related LinksForum Thread23 KnivesDiscord Chat23 KnivesBluesky Post23 KnivesThings of the DayRym - VillainessScott - So After 8 Years, I Released Super Dram World 3

Tonight on GeekNights we review Ugo Bienvenu's Arco (2025). Set in the future and the far future, it's a very French Science Fiction animated feature that's definitely worth seeing. In the news, we'll be at PAX Unplugged this weekend, as will the Night Market, and the Internet relies too much on one service.Related LinksForum ThreadArco (2025)Discord ChatArco (2025)Bluesky PostArco (2025)Things of the DayRym - Why Can’t We Fix NYC’s Penn Station?Scott - Coding Trance Music

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider anti-intellectualism. In the news, Valve has new hardware including a new VR headset Rym is going to get, and you should learn about the 1981 Air Traffic Controller strike. We will be live at PAX Unplugged 2025!Related LinksForum ThreadAnti-IntellectualismDiscord ChatAnti-IntellectualismBluesky PostAnti-IntellectualismThings of the DayRym - Jesus Didn't Have Long Hair....So Why does Jesus Have Long Hair?Scott - Using OSINT to track US military murders at sea

Tonight on GeekNights, we review (without spoilers) the third installment in the Knives Out Mysteries: Wake Up Dead Man. Benoit Blanc is a character for the ages, and it's worth seeing. In the news, Zohran Mamdani is the next mayor of New York and his victory speech is worth a watch. Democrats overwhelmingly vote to fight for democracy. Kodak quietly begins selling film again.Related LinksForum ThreadWake Up Dead Man (2025)Discord ChatWake Up Dead Man (2025)Bluesky PostWake Up Dead Man (2025)Things of the DayRym - Porcupine Screenwriting ToolScott - HyperRogue

Tonight is a very special GeekNights. This is our 20th anniversary stream. GeekNights began on October 31 2005 and has continued for 20 years with no real breaks. We did a series of "beta" episodes even earlier to work out the show format and learn how to podcast. We've done 317 talks at conventions. We had a massive forum which we replaced with a smaller forum. And somehow we're still going!Related LinksForum ThreadGeekNights 20th Anniversary Special!Discord ChatGeekNights 20th Anniversary Special!Bluesky PostGeekNights 20th Anniversary Special!Things of the DayRym - Otakon 2006 - THE MUSIC VIDEOScott - WNUF Halloween Special

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about when one messes up the rules in games. In the news, EA is being aquired by Trump-linked private equity, and VRChat has recaptured some of the magic of the Old Internet.Related LinksForum ThreadMessing Up the RulesDiscord ChatMessing Up the RulesBluesky PostMessing Up the RulesThings of the DayRym - Project Gemini: The Most Dangerous Space ProgramScott - MESSENGER

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss tech bubbles like the Dot-com bubble. Unrelatedly here's a video by Hank Green titled The State of the AI Industry is Freaking Me Out, and a video by Adam Conover titled Sora Proves the AI Bubble Is Going to Burst So Hard. In the news, nearly 7 million Americans marched in defense of democracy, Amazon AWS went down Sunday night reminding us how fragile the Internet has become, and the end of Windows 10 shouldn't be ignored.Related LinksForum ThreadTech BubblesDiscord ChatTech BubblesBluesky PostTech BubblesThings of the DayRym - The Hammond A-100 OrganScott - Mac Source Ports

Tonight on the GeekNights Book Club, we discuss Stephen King's Richard Bachman's The Running Man (1982). In 2025, the world's economy is in shambles, and America has become a totalitarian dystopia. The better-known Arnold movie is loosely based on it, though thematically it was spot-on. The 2025 Edgar Wright film will be much closer to the original. In the news, No Kings Day is October 18th: find the march nearest you! The next GeekNights book club book will be I Who Have Never Known Men.Related LinksForum ThreadBook Club: The Running Man (1982)Discord ChatBook Club: The Running Man (1982)Bluesky PostBook Club: The Running Man (1982)Things of the DayRym - DC Juries Refuse to Indict ProtestorsScott - The Most Important Device in the Universe

Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss fitness tech like heart rate monitors and Strava and Dance Dance Revolution. In the news, Tik Tok has a dubious deal to keep operating in the US and the regime has plans for the algorithm. Also go see Perfect Blue remastered while you can. And read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.Related LinksForum ThreadFitness TechDiscord ChatFitness TechBluesky PostFitness TechThings of the DayRym - KNIGHTS OF GUINEVERE: PILOTScott - 86box