Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Iteration 207 - Deific Pretensions



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In this iteration: Ryan gets excited about how well Suicide Squad is still doing at the box office, since it means a better chance of getting a Harley Quinn film. This leads to a bit of a side jag onto the topic of superhero costumes in comics versus in film. Josh ponders whether gladiator games from Roman times were creatively scripted the way modern pro wrestling is. Ryan brings us a review of the Lion King, with a little review from Zoey too. And we get a bit in depth as to the meaning and implications of the Lion King story. Then Ryan brings up the topic of pretending to be a god, and when one can consider oneself to actually be a deity.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Iteration 206 - Being Poisoned Sucks



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We talk about whether and why the film Kung Fu Panda was a better representation of Chinese culture than some Chinese-made films. Then Ryan brings us a conspiracy notion questioning how we know whether the little details haven't been altered. From inventing a fictional baseball player and inserting him or her into history, to inventing an entire new historical sport. We share our adventures in simulations this week: Josh watches Event Horizon and plays Dwarf Fortress. Ryan gets food poisoning and is inspired to talk about poison in role-playing games and stories.

References and Recommendations:

Kung Fu Panda (2008 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441773/

Kung Fu Panda Should Have Been Made in China (2008 article): http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/11/AR2008071103281.html

Event Horizon (1997 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119081/

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Iteration 205 - Beauty and the Beast



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In this iteration, we begin with talk about the Waghi tribe of Papua New Guinea who uses The Phantom as a sigil that they draw on their war shields. Then we talk a little bit about Suicide Squad, and the fan-made version of Metroid 2. Josh gets back into Dwarf Fortress, and gets annoyed with it. Josh plays some board games at Interactivity! And for a main topic, we discuss the Disney film the Beauty and the Beast, mainly about the role of Gaston. Ryan thinks Gaston gets short shrift, but Josh is a bit less forgiving. Ryan wants to take the sorceress to task, but Josh thinks the castle staff had it coming. And we ask about the extent of the Beast's curse, and why it seems to extend to the surrounding countryside, because it causes the people to forget the castle.

References and Recommendations:

Interactivity Board Game Cafe: http://www.ibgcafe.com/

Critical Role: http://geekandsundry.com/shows/critical-role/

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Iteration 204 - Flavours of Evil



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This week we're excited about Starbound, a new video game we found out about from Kickstarter. We talk about microfiction as it appears in commercials. And we talk about education, conspiracy theories, and ideology. Josh plays D&D at roll for initiative, and reviews Stranger Things. Ryan finally gets started on the Game of Thrones television series, and he absolutely loves it. Ryan and Zoey review The Secret Life of Pets. And for our main topic, we talk about flavours of evil, different kinds of villains and degrees of villainy.

References and Recommendations:

Starbound (video game): http://playstarbound.com/

Roll for Initiative (local face-to-face gaming event): http://www.rollforinitiative.ca/

Stranger Things (television series): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4574334/

Game of Thrones (television series): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/

The Secret Life of Pets (2016 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2709768/