F’ing Up the Ineffable

Brian and Mike talk about games of all sorts and what elements make games fun. They discuss sports, video games, role playing games, card games, board games and they stop playing games with your heart.   In this episode we mention the following: Videos / Channels Game Theory: Candy Crush, Designed to Addict https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BTGgCEFuQw Penn & Teller Fool Us Playlist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ncm7wAMRjM&list=PLCXTqAdQ-IqmWPtBmB3iUIb1ze0bVqyFY Shin Lim https://www.youtube.com/@shinlimmagic Board/Card Games: Chutes and Ladders https://amzn.to/49tKHKj Ticket to Ride https://amzn.to/4oJrQ2i Stratego https://amzn.to/4oJrQ2i Battleship https://amzn.to/3WP4UTz Cards against humanity https://amzn.to/437Qh18 Exploding Kittens https://amzn.to/3LfbeB1 Joking Hazard https://amzn.to/4oivVL4 Video Games Nuclear War Simulator https://store.steampowered.com/app/1603940/Nuclear_War_Simulator/ Poly Bridge https://store.steampowered.com/app/367450/Poly_Bridge/ Poly bridge 3 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1850160/Poly_Bridge_3/ FTL https://store.steampowered.com/app/212680/FTL_Faster_Than_Light/ Elder Scrolls series https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35501445 Final Fantasy series https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34459938 Portal 2 https://store.steampowered.com/app/620/Portal_2/ No Man's Sky https://store.steampowered.com/app/275850/No_Mans_Sky/ Dwarf Fortress https://store.steampowered.com/app/975370/Dwarf_Fortress/ The Oregon Trail https://store.steampowered.com/app/2013360/The_Oregon_Trail/ Candy Crush https://www.king.com/game/candycrush/ Gems of War https://gemsofwar.com/ Master of Orion 2 https://store.steampowered.com/app/410980/Master_of_Orion_2/ Civ 7 https://store.steampowered.com/developer/civilization Age of Empires https://store.steampowered.com/developer/AgeOfEmpires Stellaris https://store.steampowered.com/app/281990/Stellaris/ Cities Skylines https://store.steampowered.com/app/255710/Cities_Skylines/ Cities Skylines II https://store.steampowered.com/app/949230/Cities_Skylines_II/ Sims 4 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1222670/The_Sims_4/ Crusader Kings https://store.steampowered.com/developer/CrusaderKings Cyberpunk 2077 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1091500/Cyberpunk_2077/ Satisfactory https://store.steampowered.com/app/526870/Satisfactory/ Everquest 2 https://www.everquest2.com/home Hearthstone https://hearthstone.blizzard.com/en-us Role Playing Games Dungeons & Dragons https://amzn.to/47gBXpB Call of Cthulhu https://amzn.to/3Lgiv3y Top Secret https://amzn.to/48Z1J2V   Sorry this one is a week late due to travel!   Some links above may be part of the Amazon Affiliate Partners Program and we get paid when you use those links to purchase goods. If you choose to do so, thank you for your support! ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway!   We are available on most major podcast platforms including   Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fing-up-the-ineffable/id1821664977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12WL4yv7L8Nm4mG2kVXn0y YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingUptheIneffable I Heart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282001129 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f4a1689-597f-4c0a-a34b-e15ce7646edc and more: https://finguptheineffable.podbean.com/   We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release!   We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X: https://x.com/FIneffable68055 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/finguptheineffable.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@finguptheineffable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finguptheineffable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577163372748 and let us know what you think! You can also email us at finguptheineffable@gmail.com.   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!

***************************************************************************************** Brian and Mike talk about their experiences with music from playing live to recording, writing, musical tastes, likes and dislikes, with a side trek to a visual of a 5-year old Mike, sporting a bald head and goatee, swiveling his hips while standing on a coffee table singing Elvis songs into a hairbrush.   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway!   We are available on most major podcast platforms including   Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fing-up-the-ineffable/id1821664977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12WL4yv7L8Nm4mG2kVXn0y YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingUptheIneffable I Heart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282001129 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f4a1689-597f-4c0a-a34b-e15ce7646edc and more: https://finguptheineffable.podbean.com/   We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release!   We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X: https://x.com/FIneffable68055 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/finguptheineffable.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@finguptheineffable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finguptheineffable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577163372748 and let us know what you think! You can also email us at finguptheineffable@gmail.com.   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!

Brian and Mike talk about habits, motivation and discipline, how to stay on track, and how to fall off of the wagon. They talk about intensely personal things like depression, exercise, marriage, smoking, alcoholism and picking up dates at family reunions.   In this episode we mention the following books: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey  https://amzn.to/4giOI5R The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg  https://amzn.to/4nrrXz0 Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill  https://amzn.to/3JQ9nlF Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman  https://amzn.to/4n0agqp   Some links above may be part of the Amazon Affiliate Partners Program and we get paid when you use those links to purchase goods. If you choose to do so, thank you for your support! ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway!   We are available on most major podcast platforms including   Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fing-up-the-ineffable/id1821664977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12WL4yv7L8Nm4mG2kVXn0y YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingUptheIneffable I Heart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282001129 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f4a1689-597f-4c0a-a34b-e15ce7646edc and more: https://finguptheineffable.podbean.com/   We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release!   We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X: https://x.com/FIneffable68055 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/finguptheineffable.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@finguptheineffable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finguptheineffable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577163372748 and let us know what you think! You can also email us at finguptheineffable@gmail.com.   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!

Brian and Mike talk about the sixth extinction, climate change, books you DEFINITELY should not read and then nearly everyone dies at the end. It's real uplifting.   Editor's Note: Even though this is our 4th episode that we have released, this was the first ever recorded. Because of that that there are some audio artifacts that show up as we were still learning the ropes. We debated whether to release it at all due to the audio artifacts and the fact we recorded it nearly a year ago. However, since we recorded this some of the topics we touch on in this episode, such as flooding, hurricanes, and wildfires, have been major stories in the US. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene reached the western part of our state, North Carolina, killing over 250 people and bringing flooding and destruction that had not occurred in that area in modern history. Additionally in January 2025, California wildfires entered the Los Angeles metro area, damaging or destroying over 18,000 structures. Because of the urgency of the issue, we decided to release the episode despite some of its flaws.   Editor's Note #2: We also mention in this episode that the Charlotte Metro area was in a "snow drought", which it was at the time. Technically, the drought was broken in January 2025 because the area did receive a 0.8 inch snowfall. However, Charlotte is still in a drought of snows of one inch or greater, with the last occurring in January 2021.   "I can't fall back, I came too far Hold myself up and love my scars" - Linkin Park   In this episode we mention the following books: The Sixth Extinction, Elizabeth Kolbert   https://amzn.to/41da3as The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver  https://amzn.to/41ROD2O The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming, David Wallace-Wells - https://amzn.to/4lwYOkn The Deluge, Stephen Markley https://amzn.to/45AJdfb   Some links above may be part of the Amazon Affiliate Partners Program and we get paid when you use those links to purchase goods. If you choose to do so, thank you for your support! ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway!   We are available on most major podcast platforms including   Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fing-up-the-ineffable/id1821664977 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12WL4yv7L8Nm4mG2kVXn0y YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingUptheIneffable I Heart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282001129 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1f4a1689-597f-4c0a-a34b-e15ce7646edc and more: https://finguptheineffable.podbean.com/   We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release!   We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X: https://x.com/FIneffable68055 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/finguptheineffable.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@finguptheineffable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finguptheineffable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577163372748 and let us know what you think! You can also email us at finguptheineffable@gmail.com.   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!

Brian and Mike talk about AI and its impact on today and the future and why you probably shouldn't let it drive your car. Some of the things we talk about in this episode: Dr. Sbaitso Trackmania Training an unbeatable AI in Trackmania 3 Blue 1 Brown - Large Language Models explained briefly ChatGPT Gemini Parata Occult Mysteries Unconstrained Semantle Isaac Asimov's Robot Series   Some links above may be part of the Amazon Affiliate Partners Program and we get paid when you use those links to purchase goods. If you choose to do so, thank you for your support! ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway! We are available on most major podcast platforms including Apple Music  Spotify  YouTube  I Heart Radio  Amazon Music  and more!  We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release! We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X BlueSky Threads Instagram Facebook and let us know what you think! You can also email us at finguptheineffable@gmail.com.   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!

Brian and Mike get nerdy and discuss old-school computer role playing games (CRPGs) and Roguelikes, what they like and don't like about them, some of the best and worst of the lot, and whether bards get the respect they deserve.  Spreadsheet: Brian's Spreadsheet of Roguelikes Book: The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect (Free | Amazon) Games: Fallout 2 Jagged Alliance 2 Might & Magic IV, V, VI, VII, & VIII Wizardry I, VI, VII & VIII Baldur's Gate & Baldur's Gate II & III Betrayal at Krondor The Bard's Tale Eye of the Beholder Planescape: Torment Nethack (Nethack 4 | GnollHack) Dwarf Fortress Dungeonmans Tales of Middle Earth (T.O.M.E. 2) Tales of Maj'Eyal (T.O.M.E. 4)  A.D.O.M. (Free | Steam) Everquest / Everquest II Divinity Original Sin 1 & II Pillars of Eternity I & II Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous Pokémon Go Elder Scrolls: Arena Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall Elder Scrolls: Morrowind Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead Incursion Neverwinter Nights Warhammer: Rogue Trader Diablo IV BattleTech / RogueTech Mod Battle Brothers Icewind Dale I & II Dragon Age: Inquisition Tower of Time   ***********************************************   Thank you for listening to the F’ing Up the Ineffable podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends. If you didn’t, well, thanks for sticking around this long anyway! We are available on most major podcast platforms including Apple Music  Spotify  YouTube  I Heart Radio  Amazon Music  and more!  We are currently releasing new episodes every three weeks on Thursdays, but hope to increase the frequency of releases in the near future. Please subscribe to us on your favorite platform to be informed when new episodes release! We love feedback! Feel free to find and follow us on X BlueSky Threads Instagram Facebook and let us know what you think! You can also email us at finguptheineffable@gmail.com.   Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!

Brian and Mike discuss the Fermi Paradox, Drake Equation, the possibilities of alien life in the universe, and whether aliens really do abduct people and probe their butts.