Greetings, Programs!  

Whether you want to bewitch the mind or ensnare the senses, bottle fame, brew glory, or even put a stopper in death, there’s only one potion master that will do: Severus Snape.  We remember some of our favorite roles of Alan Rickman, from Hans Gruber in Die Hard to the Sheriff of Nottingham, to his portrayal of an actor portraying an alien crew member of a very Trekkish television show, Alan Rickman delighted audiences for decades with his precision command of every aspect of himself on screen.

IN THE NEWS, J.J. Abram’s vision of WestWorld has been delayed, Darkwing Duck does not get a movie voiced and animated by Jim Cummings, but it looks like he will get a comic book.  Concept designer and animator of such visually mesmerizing projects as TRON: Uprising, Aeon Flux, Gorillaz, and The Beatles: RockBand, Robert Valley, provides fans with an opportunity to help him realize the transfer of a graphic novel to film through a Kickstarter for Pear Cider and Cigarettes. 

The bulk of this week’s show, however, is the discussion and debate about Rey’s heritage, spurred by a post by Joe Tavano at RetroZap.com. As Maz Kanata put it, “Who’s the girl?”  JediShua, shazbazzar, and Joey-Wan Kenobi put forward their best (and worst) thoughts for consideration, with reasons supporting or derailing some of the most common and most outlandish theories about Rey’s parents that they’ve heard.  Although the next saga installment of Star Wars has been pushed back to December 2018, these three throw out enough speculations (with or without evidence) to keep fans talking for 23 months.  PLUS: new questions arise, like “Is Kylo Ren a Star Wars version of TRON’s CLU?” and the identity and origin of Snoke.  There are many things about Star Wars we don’t know since this sequel trilogy started over a month ago, and speculation is a blast!

So sit down with your bowl of Wheaties, plug in your ear buds, EarBuds, and tune in for 77 minutes of family, friends, and fandom this Monday morning as you get ready to start another work week.

Share and enjoy!

Greetings, Programs!  

Whether you’re off to the rodeo in the middle of winter or you’re watching a preschool neighborhood Mardi Gras parade, there’s always time to share some favorite memories with your EarBuds.  Join shazbazzar and JediShua as they take a mind trip to 1986 with memories of the Jim Henson/George Lucas collaboration, Labyrinth.  With the recent passing of David Bowie, it only seemed appropriate to talk about some of the more influential aspects of his work on the lives of the ‘Dads, and both agree that his portrayal of the Goblin King Jareth will always remain in the forefront of their minds.

But there’s more!  Cereal sales are down in the NEWS.  Is it because of increased droughts?  Is too much grain going into our gas tanks taking its toll on the breakfast food industry?  Or are the ‘Dads to blame because EarBuds are living vicariously through them and not consuming as much sugary-sweet, brightly colored cereals as they did before the CEREAL segment began?  But never fear, General Mills hasn’t been in business for a century and a half because it can’t endure an economic downturn from time-to-time. 

TechnoRetro Dads discover a new way to organize some of your favorite movies by watching them in alphabetical order.  Because, because, because, because, because JediShua finds Of Oz the Wizard online, he follows the Yellow Brick Road to Arst Arsw, enduring hours of oddly edited versions of the films according to alphabetically arranged dialogue.  Really, who thinks up these things?!

In the meantime, if you’re not already a member of Audible, you can get your 30-day free trial and a free download of an audio book of your choice through this #TechnoRetro link: AudibleTrial.com/TRDads.  We suggest lazy reading the novelization of Star Wars: The Force Awakens as you continue to feel the awakening of the Dark Side and the Light.

So get up, put 2 Euros in the LEGO Cheerios cereal vending machine, and tune in to 77 minutes of delicious TechnoRetro crunchiness — it’s part of your balanced breakfast every Monday morning.

Share and enjoy!

Greetings, Programs!  

Have you ever tried to have a discussion about a single topic with a friend and he keeps interrupting the flow of the conversation with movie quotes, song lyrics, or side-bars about odd words or names?  Did you find it frustrating?  Were you wondering if this only happens to you?  You’re not alone.  All the evidence you need is wrapped up in 77 silly minutes of this week’s technology-centric TechnoRetro Dads.  JediShua and shazbazzar prove their attention span stinks nearly as much as sulfur (soon-to-be known to all mankind as shazbazzarium) as their deficiency is paraded with pride for all the world to hear in this podcast filled with problematic prognostications and spurious speculations. 

But that’s not all!  Their disorderly conduct continues throughout the NEWS about Star Wars in concert, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, in-universe books from the wide world of Ghostbusters, and newly discovered invented elements synthesized by chemists dedicated to completing each and every level of the Periodic Table of Elements.

And if that’s not enough to satisfy your appetite this Monday morning, sit down with Nephew Joe for a mixed bowl of cereal as JediShua hosts Sunday Cereal Bar Brunch for his extended family.  Listen in as the two of them (and others) make their plans for RetroFuture cereal restaurant that charges by the bowl instead of by the pound.  (POUND?  Just how much cereal does it take to fill Shua’s belly?!)

PLUS: shazbazzar unearths an eleventy-five year-old article by civil engineer John Elfreth Watkins, Jr. published in the December 1900 issue of Ladies’ Home Journal.  The imaginative mind of yesteryear proves to be rather accurate in his predictions of the technology that would be familiar over the next century.  From wireless telephone networks spanning the globe to pre-packaged cooked meals delivered to the (evidently kitchenless) homes of our century, the pre-tech visionary had a firm grasp on the direction technology would take in the post-industrial age.

The questions that will plague EarBuds’ after tuning in this week are not limited to:

1. How much cold medicine did shazbazzar take?
2. Who is Solomon Grundy and why is JediShua’s dad eating him for breakfast?
3. When will shazbazzar find the elusive multi-colored BB-8 droid viewer?
4. What is a single-cell phone?
5. Where exactly is a woman’s boudoir?

So listen in and listen again to this technically silly technological episode of TechnoRetro Dads and make your Monday a fun day.

Greetings, Programs!  

Did the movie live up to the hype?  Did the hype affect your first screening?  your second?  How important is it to see Star Wars on opening night?  Of course we’re talking about The Force Awakens in this first episode of 2016.  Both shazbazzar and JediShua see the most highly anticipated movie in ten years with friends, family, and first-timers time and again in 2D, 3D, and 3D IMAX and they begin their conversation with initial comments after a few times seeing a truly J.J. Abrams Star Wars movie.  SPOILER ALERT!  If, for some strange reason, you have not yet seen the newest addition to the galaxy far, far away, BEWARE!  This episode of TechnoRetro Dads contains spoilers, speculations, and surprises that may make your first viewing of The Force Awakens better or worse (depending on who you ask).

Might as well let you know now: Finn’s last name is Calrissian, Rey’s last name is Kenobi, and Kylo’s real name is Ben.  Or maybe not.  It’s a new movie.  We can’t reveal such things in a podcast blurb!  It would be a travesty.

But the new year brings more than expected!  After the “last call” at ShotGlassDigital.com, TechnoRetro Dads have found a new home at RetroZap.com with long-time SuperFriend Joey Tavano alongside other great podcasts like Brews and Blasters, The Collectors Hutt, Skywalking through Neverland, The Trade Federation, We Know Nothing, The Deucecast Movie Show, and more…

IN THE NEWS: Is Star Trek: Axanar getting the ax?  Independence Day makes a resurgence with Resurgence.  PLUS, X-Men, video games, Batman, Superman, Captain America, Star Trek, and Jungle Book trailers hit theaters before The Force Awakens.

TOYS IN THE ATTIC:  Christmas 2015 had some real hits, including a pie-in-the-face from 1964.

Wake up in a new year with 77 minutes of retrotastic technolove this Monday morning!  So pour yourself a bowl of Wheaties (since you’re still set on keeping those New Year’s resolutions), hop on the treadmill, and walk across the TechnoRetro bridge from the past to the future as the old joins the new at a very appropriate time of year.