Enjoy Stuff: A TechnoRetro Podcast

Sitting in our favorite position, doing nothing, is what we really do best.  Other people concentrate a lot on doing something, we just concentrate on our rest.  We’re happy with an old guitar in the shade of VW bus.  We don’t bother worries and they don’t bother us.  We’re just sitting in our favorite position — doing nothing — and that’s doing what we really do best!  Perhaps we’re lazy.  Maybe we’ve got “Peoplitis”.  But we’re surely having fun — even in the rain.  So if your day is gray or you’re feeling kind of blue, tune in to 77 minutes of TechnoRetro Dads and at least a part of your day will be brighter.

 

In the NEWS…

Production on Ready Player One is well underway and Sorrento may not be exactly like readers imagined him, according to Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One).  Mendelsohn caused some stirrings online when he said that his approach to the character is vastly different from the character’s portrayal in Ernest Cline’s novel.  T.J. Miller calls i-R0k a comedic Boba Fett.  If that’s the case, does that mean that Sorrento is Darth Vader (or would that make Krennic choke on his aspirations)?  Star Trek Discovery will premiere on CBS 24 September online as well as on “old-fashioned TV”.

 

TechnoRetro Arcade

JediShua and shazbazzar played Zaxxon at Flashback Games Retro Arcade in Loganville, Georgia about a year ago.  This week we remember playing it then as well as in their youth (while shaz gets distracted with TRON right beside the Zaxxon cabinet). Zaxxon was the first axonometric arcade game and was ported to home consoles relatively quickly for games in those days. Giving players a third-person view from a diagonal point-of-view, the axonometric design provided a basic 3D perspective for gamers.  Controlling a ship on the X, Y, and Z axes was a novelty in 1982 and continues to be an iconic game among video game aficionados.  

 

The Rescuers

Who can forget Bernard, Bianca, and Evinrude?  Evidently, shazbazzar can.  At least he had forgotten that The Rescuers was the first movie he saw on the big screen.  Before seeing Pete’s Dragon in the theater, before seeing Star Wars at the drive-in, shazbazzar and his family went to see The Rescuers in the summer of 1977.  The Rescuers was Don Bluth’s final project with Disney before embarking on his own projects like Secret of NIMH, Space Ace, and Dragon’s LairThe Rescuers went through many iterations for over a decade before finally becoming the movie we all loved back in ’77.  JediShua and shazbazzar reveal some interesting tidbits of information about this movie with a couple of “lost” tunes by Louis Prima that never made it into the film due to a significant change in the plot and the death of Prima.

 

Feedback

We love hearing from EarBuds and especially new EarBuds.  @ObiRothKenobi asks if the ‘Dads had seen The Goldbergs, so shazbazzar begins watching the series.  Our old friend Sheldon gets a wooden spatula for his grill and we wonder whether it catches fire when he uses it.  PLUS: E.T. VoiceMails from Sheldon and Jeremy the Spider-Pan from The Neverland Podcast.

 

Lend your voice to our discussion about The Rescuers, Zaxxon, wood spatulas, monsoon season or anything else on social media or give the ‘Dads your feedback by calling our voice mail line at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.  Please rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes and Stitcher. 

 

Share and enjoy.

 

Direct download: TRDads_05.12.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 5:30am EDT

Greetings, Programs!  

 

Emerging from the annual tribute to fathers sometimes known as TechnoRetro Dads Day (honestly, it’s a day honoring all fathers, whether they’re #TechnoRetro or not — we just like the sound of it), shazbazzar and JediShua wind up their chargers for a wacky and wild trip through time as they remember “The Bright Knight” in Adam West’s portrayal of Batman in the late ‘60s, take a peek at the new version of Wonder Woman, and wander through their memories (both recent and ancient) of a summer camp favorite: white water rafting.

 

In the NEWS…

Tweet-TBird provides additional information about Battle for the Network Stars and some strangely familiar stars ensure this will be a truly #TechnoRetro contest.  Check it out here!

 

We Love Our Cereal

JediShua embarks on the Oops! All Berries challenge in response to Steve’s tweet about this cereal actually being more of a mixer than a cereal in its own right.  See the videos on our Facebook page.

 

Batman 1966…

We best remember Adam West when he played Batman in the 1960s TV show with Burt Ward.  The straight-laced detective in a bat costume was impeccably portrayed by West in a manner that convinced kids he was serious and entertains adults (who may have seen this show as kids) with his amazing ability to say every line and play every look with a somber comedy that defies every force of nature.  And that’s why we still love Batman and Adam West.

 

Wonder Woman

Whether you’re a fan of Lynda Carter’s portrayal of the heroine from 1941 or not, you’ll likely enjoy Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman — unanimously agreed among the ‘Dads as the best DC film in the current set of movies.  Combine Thor’s mythos and Captain America’s origin story to make a DC movie that nearly rivals Marvel’s incredible success in recent years.  Dads and daughters agree that this movie isn’t a waste of time and money.  Bring your bucket of popcorn — it’s fun!

 

Lend your voice to the discussion on social media or give the ‘Dads your feedback by calling our voice mail line at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.  Please rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes and Stitcher. 

This episode has been brought to you by the letter "W".

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Direct download: TRDads_05.11_.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 5:30am EDT

Greetings, Programs!

Yesterday marked the 35th anniversary of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial with a little, squishy green guy stranded on earth to wander about a California community with the likes of the Firestarter, Yoda, and Harvey the Clown Dog.  While awaiting the next installment of the Star Wars saga, the 'Dads both checked out this endearing story of a lovable alien botanist who befriended (or possessed) a ten year-old boy who was struggling with his place in a broken home and a macabre school where frogs are killed by JediShua's fifth grade science class.  Halfway through the movie, the short man from the Green Planet raided the TechnoRetro attic for toys to build the ULTIMATE WEAPON a communication device to signal his people to extract him from this crazy world in an oversized Christmas tree ornament propelled by water vapor (evident from the rainbow left behind as it blasted into space).  One 'Dad went head-over-heels for this movie while the other resented its success in dethroning Star Wars (temporarily) in box office receipts.  We'll leave it to the EarBuds to figure out which 'Dad loved it, but it's likely the one whose love for costuming may be linked to a homemade E.T. outfit he wore for Halloween in 1982.

JediShua retrieves his brother's Speak & Spell from the attic since the buttons on his machine not only wore out, but literally fell off the Texas Instruments learning toy that nearly every GenXer played with at some point in the late '70s or early '80s.  

With some tunes, news, and feedback, this episode of TechnoRetro Dads is likely to dredge up some memories of a more innocent time of wonder and magic as we look to the past with one eye on the future.  Share and enjoy the good times as summer camp continues with shazbazzar and JediShua...and Elliott, Gertie, and Mike. 

Direct download: TRDads_05.10.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 1:09am EDT

Are you ready for the summer?  JediShua and shazbazzar are ready for good times, movies, arcade games, cereal, and even a dose of summer camp — if they can stand it.  But in addition to the joys of the smoky atmosphere from leaf-heavy campfires and mosquito-infested swamp-forests, shazbazzar and JediShua are surprised by a big, hairy creature.  Nope, it’s not Bigfoot or Sasquatch or even Skunk Ape, it’s our own Spacey Ace’em, Steve Glosson from the GOLiverse.  So find a place at the fire and get ready for summer fun!

 

In the NEWS…

Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century filming props (specifically ships) will be on the auction block near the end of June.  Rick Moranis comes out of hiding to reprise his role in a MacKenzie Brothers benefit special.  The memorable Battle of the Network Stars from the ‘70s and ‘80s will be returning soon, according to ABC.  More sequels on the horizon as the ‘80s continue to get represented in pop culture with Top Gun and Spaceballs.  Will there be merchandise?  Will there be controversy?  Will there be tickets sold at the box office?  We think so.

 

We Love Our Cereal

After months of anticipation (and boxes of cereal eaten at the ‘Dad’s homes), Cinnamon Pebbles is now up for critical consideration in a cereal segment that might upset some EarBuds.

 

Harry and the Hendersons

Thirty years ago, George Henderson was on his way home after a family camping trip when he accidentally hit an animal with his car.  No, it wasn’t a cat or even a raccoon (Scott Ryfun).  It wasn’t even Steve Glosson, though he came to the studio to talk about one of his favorite creatures on earth — Bigfoot!  On June 7th, 1987, movie-goers were treated to an endearing tale of a family and their pet Sasquatch named “Harry” in Harry and the Hendersons.  Starring John Lithgow, M. Emmet Walsh, Don Ameche, the mom from A Christmas Story, and a really tall Kevin Peter Hall for a classically ‘80s comedy filled with stereotypes, colorful language, and a glimpse into the lifestyles of one of the most mysterious species on the planet.   

 

Aftershocks of 1977

Forty years ago today, Apple Computers began selling the Apple II.  Touted as the first truly personal computer, the Apple II sought to bring users an easy-to-use, effective, and relatively inexpensive computer for home use.  Today, we still feel the aftershocks of the meteoric rise to prominence Apple enjoyed as homes welcomed the Apple II into their living rooms.  Now we have much smaller, more efficient, and less expensive mini-computers in our pockets (phone included).  It kind of makes you wonder what the world would have looked like if Apple had never invented the Apple II.  What if Steve Jobs teamed up with Roddy McDowell to forge ahead with computer technology?  We might all be bananas by now and the planet may have well gone to the apes!

 

Lend your voice to the discussion on social media or give the ‘Dads your feedback by calling our voice mail line at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.  Please rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes and Stitcher. 

Share and enjoy.

Direct download: TRDads_05.09.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 5:30am EDT

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