GeekNights

Fitness Tech 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.

Fitness Tech

The Gang Tonight on GeekNights, we review The Gang, a fantastic cooperative tabletop game about pulling bank heists by ranking poker hands. In the news, there's lots to say about the Nintendo Direct, Borderlands 4 has angered gamers with its poor performance and Gearbox isn't handling it super well. 'Pitchford told people to “code your own engine and show us how it’s done, please,” and declared Borderlands 4 “a premium game made for premium gamers” whatever that means.

The Gang

Specific Mice Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about specific mice. Mice we've used over the years, since the days of balls. In the news, Google dodges consequences in the US but not in the EU, Google is sued yet again for their advertising monopoly, and Google is looking to flood the phone lines of tiny businesses.

Specific Mice

Video Chat and Teleconferencing Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about the modern marvel that is video chat. In the news, Perplexity is using undeclared crawlers to scrape content, Samsung has a crazy Micro LED TV, real life ad block is possible, and Trump is forming the American SS.The next GeekNights Book Club book will be The Running Man, by Richard Backman, who you may know better as Stephen King.

Video Chat and Teleconferencing

Donkey Kong Bananza Tonight on GeekNights, we share our thoughts on Donkey Kong Bananza. In the news, Gamescom happened, PAX West badges aren't sold out, and you should see The Relationship Between Game Design and Art Direction with Naoki Yoshida and Hiroshi Minagawa.

Donkey Kong Bananza

Computer Audio Interfaces Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss audio interfaces. Rym uses a PreSonus Studio 1810c to record GeekNights, and as his general purpose "sound card" in the studio.In the news, the CEO of GitHub steps down, you can consider Forgejo if that worries you, Reddit will block the Internet Archive, and Trump illegally forces the National Guard to deploy to the streets of Washington DC.

Computer Audio Interfaces

GeekNights Book Club: The Silent Patient Tonight on the GeekNights Book Club, we discuss Alex Michaelide' The Silent Patient. It's a fine mystery novel, and we both enjoyed our time with it.In the news, Texas Democrats have fled the state in a bit to fight fascism, and Disney's ESPN acquires the NFL Network in the continued consolidation of all sports media into one big casino.If you enjoy GeekNights panels and lectures, here's a list of all 315 we've done to date!

GeekNights Book Club: The Silent Patient

The Popularity of Anime Over Time Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the popularity of anime over time. In the news, CITY The Animation continues to crush it, it's GUNDAM season, The Boy and The Beast is pin theaters August 18th[(https://www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/mamoru-hosoda-the-boy-and-the-beast-theaterical-release-crunchyroll-248944.html?cbtr=LATPOS), and expect this The Bad Guys 2 anti-AI statement to appear in more movie credits.

The Popularity of Anime Over Time

Fancy Restaurants Tonight on GeekNights, we consider fancy restaurants. In the news, noted racist Terry Bollea has died at 71, Donald Trump is getting even more dangerously unhinged than usual, and the Canada World Junior assault case has ended.Here is a list of every significant lecture or panel that Rym and Scott have ever done, going back to the year 2002.

Fancy Restaurants

Tower Defense Games Tonight on GeekNights, we consider Tower Defense games like the famous Desktop Tower Defense (2007). In the news, Ozzy Osbourne made it to 76, the PS5 Store is full of AI slop, Steam is caught up in the war on "pornography", and Deltarune is fantastic.Rym's solo version of Every Game is the Same Game from Zenkaikon is live!

Tower Defense Games

City the Animation (2025) Tonight on GeekNights, we review Keiichi Arawi's City the Animation. It's delightful; we reviewed the manga in 2018. In the news, Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a surprisingly popular game, though we had a meh opinion of the anime it's based on.

City the Animation (2025)

Why there's no big tech news Tonight on GeekNights, we consider why there, broadly, aren't major consumer technology developments lately. In the news, Debian reduces support for i386 and Chrome OS is combining with Android. Also we'll be live at PAX West!

Why there's no big tech news

Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune Tonight on the GeekNights Book Club, we discuss Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052-2072 Despite several compelling aspects, its ultimately was a frustrating read which we discuss at length. That said, it's important to have post-apocalyptic works that imagine a better world rather than a worse one, however naive some of the interrogation of the subject ends up being.

Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune

Auction and Bidding Mechanics Tonight on GeekNights, we consider auction and bidding mechanics in games. In the news, DriveThruRPG chose cowardice, and Microsoft lays of 9,000 people. GeekNights will be live at PAX West with an all new lecture on the same topic as this show! Our talk The Everlasting Game from PAX East is on youtube!

Auction and Bidding Mechanics

The Wild Robot (2024) Tonight on GeekNights, we review Chris Sanders' The Wild Robot (2024), out of Dreamworks. It's fantastic animation and overall a good film. In the news, Rym has ascended to the open comb razor, Diamond's bankruptcy saga continues to be more and more insane by the day, and Rick and Morty has matured into a very good show.

The Wild Robot (2024)

Blinky Lights Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the blinky lights and LEDs the kids are putting on everything including their computers. In the news, Windows 10 has extended security support, Broadcom is desperate to monetize VMware, and the EU forced Apple to comply, at least in the EU.

Blinky Lights

Toilets and Bidets and Washlets Tonight on GeekNights, we consider toilets, washlets, and bidets. (Oh my). In the news, some context on the current Iran conflict, and Apple WWDC25 was mostly uneventful other than keeping old devices going for a while yet.

Toilets and Bidets and Washlets

Nintendo Switch 2: Day One Tonight on GeekNights, we consider day one of having a Nintendo Switch 2. In the news, Fortnite on the Switch 2 will support objectively superior FPS controls, REMATCH might do what Scott has always wanted, the Blades '68 playtest is done and you will soon be able to play Blades '68! The Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is actually worth buying, and Mario Kart World is fun but the tracks are too wide.

Nintendo Switch 2: Day One

Houseplants Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the keeping of houseplants. In the news, the fascists are going after Harvard, but Harvard is fighting back in multiple ways. I recommend the free course "U.S. Public Policy: Social, Economic, and Foreign Policies." More interesting is the (not free) Public Leadership Credential. Long Island City finally has good bagels, and next week brings us a bunch of exiting nerd stuff including John Wick: Ballerina, The Phoenician Scheme, and Deltarune. Also Rym got a 1/4 scale Dig Dug machine.

Houseplants

Flip 7, Krakel Orakel, and Context Tonight on GeekNights, we review two Spiel des Jahres 2025 nominees — Flip 7 and Krakel Orakel — plus Context, a game that's harder the smarter you are. In the news, Rym has been diving deep into VRchat's true value, Shadow Labyrinth's mazes are revealed, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 dropped roll cancels from Capcom vs SNK 2, and Apple bought the creators of Sneaky Sasquatch.

Flip 7, Krakel Orakel, and Context

Capacity Management Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss capacity management. It's changed a lot over the years. In the news, evil people are trying to accelerate climate change, and a silly camera is coming.

Capacity Management

Painting Miniatures Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the painting of minis, from Ral Partha to Ralidium. In the news, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) will likely (and justifiably) strike, here's a starting point if you are interested in the dynamics of a broader anti-fascist General Strike, and the Twitter AI is obsessed with defending South African white supremacists.

Painting Miniatures

Quacks (of Quedlinburg) Tonight on GeekNights, we review Quacks, previously released as The Quacks of Quedlinburg in 2018. It's a push your luck game that is fun, but just short of greatness. (That's rare praise from GeekNights). In the news, Greater Than Games is forced to reduce staff in light America's ridiculous tariff war, and tabletop companies are suing our president over America's ridiculous tariff war.

Quacks (of Quedlinburg)

Surgery Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about surgery. Warning: we talk about surgery. In the news, capitalism has destroyed Polygon and a federal judge has permanently blocked the Trump administration from deporting people to concentration camps using the archaic Alien Enemies Act of 1798, setting up an existential supreme court showdown.

Surgery

Getting a New Game Console Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the acquisition of new gaming consoles. In the news, Overwatch competitive mode adds hero bans, the fourth of the old scrolls are remastered, and Scott has Hemorrhoids. The GeekNights content you crave.

Getting a New Game Console

The Apothecary Diaries Tonight on GeekNights, we review The Apothecary Diaries anime. It's worth a look, and is on both Crunchyroll and Netflix. In the news, Science Saru is bringing us a very good looking Ghost in the Shell, the Star Wars manga is getting a fancy artbook, and the Rose of Versailles movie is coming to Netflix April 30th. Also get on your Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders.

The Apothecary Diaries

Princess Mononoke Tonight on GeekNights, we review Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫). This 1997 film is a masterpiece. In the news, Donald Trump destroyed global trade, Murderbot is coming, the Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin manga gets a deluxe edition, and Spider-Verse 3 is coming on June 4 2027. Also Rym continues to love Common Side Effects.

Princess Mononoke

Heat: Pedal to the Metal (2022) Tonight on GeekNights, we review Heat: Pedal to the Metal (2022). It's a car racing game with well-tuned push-your-luck mechanics that is definitely worth a play. It's even better over multiple races. In the news, Cory Booker heroically and historically holds the Senate floor for over 24 hours in a powerful rebuke of Donald Trump's fascism (beating Strom Thurmond's vile "record"). Also torpedo bats are a deeply baseball thing to happen, Nintendo Direct number 1 brings virtual game cards and a bunch of games, and Nintendo Direct 2 will announce the Switch 2.

Heat: Pedal to the Metal (2022)

The Discoverability Problem Tonight on GeekNights, we muse a bit on the problem of discoverability. Nearly all experience is mediated, and this includes deciding what web site to look at. In the news, Rym is back from Zenkaikon, Moon Zooz is continuing to rock it, the cosmological constant might not be, niri is a scrollable-tiling Wayland compositor, and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is a dangerous idiot.

The Discoverability Problem

Power Grid: Outpost Tonight on GeekNights, we review Friedemann Friese's sequel to Power Grid titled Power Grid: Outpost. We highly recommend reading the second page of the rulebook closely. In the news, Pokémon Go (and all your location data) were sold to Scopely, there's something to this nemesis system, and this is the most important thing you can pay attention to in America's ongoing crisis.

Power Grid: Outpost