Enjoy Stuff: A TechnoRetro Podcast

Total Eclipse.  Yep.  That means we get to see the Dark Side of the Moon.  But since the sun will still be just as bright, unless you’re in a place where the eclipse is totally total, you’d better not look up at the eclipse at all without approved eye protection or you’ll be like that kid in 2nd grade who skipped school in 1979 to see the eclipse.  Boy is his mom gonna be mad when she finds out about this today! 

 

In the NEWS…

The Robot Overlords are going to be indestructible, now that we’re providing them with self-repairing polymer synthflesh.  Seriously, have none of these scientists ever watched or read science fiction?  It’s looking more and more like an Obi-Wan Kenobi film is in the making.  Ant-Man and Wasp is definitely in the making and one of the ‘Dads was on set last week.  PLUS: more ranting about spoilers (not really) and Nerd’s Gallery is now on iTunes.

 

TechnoRetro Arcade

Since the end of camp has come, we remember the good times in the river with the classic arcade game Toobin’.  With Bif and Jet, players can paddle their way downstream in a frantic race to the finish with a couple of buttons reminiscent of Track and Field.  Frustrate fishermen, collect letters, and throw things at your opponents in this game that’s just a bit less violent than Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown!

 

Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown!

In Charlie Brown’s first film after the death of long-time soundtrack composer, Vince Guaraldi, 1977 welcomed the ne’er-do-well balding adolescent to the silver screen in a summer camp special with friends and foes alike (and evidently no adult supervision) as Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Peppermint Pattie, Snoopy, and Woodstock brave the rapids in a whitewater race to the finish.  But who will win in the end?  Cat’s got your tongue?  Find out when Linus channels his inner Indiana Jones and Snoopy punches out an evil cat in Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown!

 

Science Lesson

It’s all about the eclipse today, in your ear buds and in the sky, as the long-awaited day arrives for the first total eclipse visible in the continental United States since 1979.  JediShua and shazbazzar give you all the info you’ll need to make this morning/afternoon an event you’ll never forget.  Seize the moment, because who knows if you’ll still be able to catch the next one.  

 

Feedback

JediFisch loves Dynomutt.  Wendy Cooper reviews the Periodic Table of Elements.  George Lopez shows us some Gilbert Gottfried cereal and says that shazbazzar narrated A Dog’s Purpose.  And Starchaser: The Legend of Orin gets mentioned in the comments.  Sheldon reminds us that Flight of the Navigator turned 31 last week.  Adam calls us back in time to remember Carrie Fisher in The Time Guardian (but it’s really not a great movie).  Mike Tarkin calls to correct us.  And Derek and Michael spot some seasonal cereals that are coming before we expected!  Pumpkin Spice, anyone?

Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, or lend your voice to our discussion about spoilers, Star Wars, or movies and games from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback on voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com

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Direct download: TRDads_05.20_.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 8:21am EDT

Whether you’re in the mood for equine aliens with twelve fingers, testing bionic gadgets on dogs before fitting them with humans, or just want to hear the news and bad Dad science jokes, this episode of TechnoRetro Dads is bound to hit the spot…er…tickle your fancy…um…maybe…scratch your itch. Packed with 77 minutes of “Space Junk”, SETI signals, hydrogen highlights, and feedback from our EarBuds, you’ll be sorry when it’s over.  

 

In the NEWS…

Friendly reminder: Close Encounters of the Third Kind is coming back to theaters for a 40th anniversary special on the first weekend of September.  Also on September 1st — Force Friday returns to stores, spawning a question from collectors across the galaxy: “Will there be any actual toys?”  Disney keeps themselves in the news by announcing they will be pulling their content from Netflix and showing on their own streaming service…in 2019.  As Jeff Bridges promotes his new movie, he reveals his hopes for TR3N becoming the first movie presented in virtual reality.

 

Spoil Me or Spoiler Free? and other rants

JediShua goes off on a tangent (ok, that’s not really news — we do that every week).  But this departure is brought about by his agitation from cyberscoops who prefer criticizing what they don’t understand to actually investing themselves in comprehending what all the hype is about.  The writer is Alex Nichols and the subject is Ready Player One (both the book and the upcoming film).  Nichols writes from the perspective of an outsider looking into a factory where the workers are all involved in activities he doesn’t recognize and complains that they don’t do things the way he thinks they should.  Final analysis: he just doesn’t get it.  But what really pulls Shua’s strings is the growing number of complaints about spoilers — specifically regarding The Last Jedi.  EarBuds are aware that JediShua doesn’t mind spoilers, even stating previously that if a “spoiler” ruins the movie for you, it probably isn’t a very good movie, anyway.  Still, he invites EarBuds to get involved in the discussion via voicemail at (209) 878-7323.  

 

Aftershocks of 1977

Tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of the “Wow!” signal recorded by SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) on the “Big Ear” radio telescope.  Jerry Ehman spotted the alphanumeric representation of the signal on a computer printout and circled “6EQUSJ5” in red ink with an excited notation of “Wow!”  He believed that the signal had come from the vicinity of the constellation Sagittarius and researchers have been trying to decipher the recording and listening for other iterations of the same broadcast unsuccessfully for decades.  However, just before the forty-year anniversary of this event, shazbazzar has derived the source and meaning of this transmission with a strong likelihood that his hypothesis is correct, since it has not been disproven.  Tune in to find out more! 

 

Saturday Mornings

Quick!  Answer this trivia question: Which superhero lost the name of his show to his canine sidekick?  Can’t remember?  He wore a blue supersuit with a bird beak above the brow.  Still don’t remember?  How about this: What was his sidekick’s name?  Of course you know it — it’s Dynomutt.  The bionic/robotic dog stole the show from Blue Falcon in the heyday of Hanna-Barbera Saturday Mornings with the eponymous cartoon Dynomutt.  The Dog Wonder (or Blunder) is evidently a prototypical version of what would eventually become Inspector Gadget after clinical trials with animal testing had been completed.  He’s the Go-Go Dog Person we loved to watch in 1977.  

 

Feedback

Chris from Arvada eats Lucky Charms from a frozen bowl (#chillyourbowl) and remembers making his own mini-movies through stop-motion animation of Star Wars figures.  Sadly, he doesn’t know where the reels are.  @MikeTarkin plays “Hangman” on his Aunt’s ancient PC.  @DJKver2 includes the Nebulon frigate from The Empire Strikes Back on the list of Ships We Can’t Figure Out Which Way Is Forward.”  @JediFisch sends in an article about the ever-increasing popularity of ‘80s culture thirty years later.  And the @sandcrawlercast brings back treasured memories of filmstrips in elementary school with a video of the Star Wars filmstrip on YouTube.

 

Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, or lend your voice to our discussion about Dynomutt, TR3N, Star Wars, Ready Player One, or spoilers by giving the ‘Dads your feedback on voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com

 

Share and enjoy.

 

Direct download: TRDads_05.19.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 5:30am EDT

Ray Harryhausen is a household name in every #TechnoRetro home because of his ingenious and innovative approach to movement and practical special effects over four decades of making memorable movies.  From a teenager learning his craft in his parents’ garage to the master who continues to influence filmmakers even today, Ray Harryhausen gave us iconic creatures and dream-like stories that still bring joy (or fear) to our hearts today.  

 

In the NEWS…

Darth Taxus warns Twitter about his growing concerns regarding experimentation in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the scientific community as two “chatbots” begin speaking to each other in a code only the two of them can understand.  This give rise to the question of whether they were doing this for efficiency’s sake or if they were actually planning to conquer their creators and take over the world through Facebook.  In other news, June Foray, sometimes referred to as the female Mel Blanc, passed away last week less than two months before her 100th birthday.  We remember some of her iconic roles as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Granny of Looney Tunes, and Jokey Smurf.

 

We Love Our Cereal…

…and some people love cereal too much!  When two brothers get in such a heated argument over the cold breakfast staple that one stabs the other, we think their love for cereal has gone too far.  Remember, EarBuds, love people and use utensils for cereal; when you start loving cereal, you may soon use utensils on people.  Taking a tastier tone, Post is bringing back S’mores and Oreos cereals.

 

Aftershocks of 1977

Although Ray Harryhausen started making stop-motion movies as early as the 1930s, his 1977 addition to his catalogue displayed how far he had come in his craft as he continued to create and innovate in the genre.  Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger was the first of Harryhausen’s Sinbad movies that shazbazzar saw and both the ‘Dads have fond memories of this amazing film that clearly demonstrates the differences between George Lucas’s new approach to special effects and the best of the old guard in movies that were released within months of each other.  We’re all thankful for all that Ray Harryhausen accomplished as well as the impact his achievements have made throughout the decades.

 

TechnoRetro Arcade

With another addition to the TechnoRetro Arcade from long-time EarBud and SuperFriend Armando, the ‘Dads remember their time with Gauntlet, an Atari game from 1985 that brought Dungeons & Dragons to the arcade with overwhelming numbers of ghouls, ghosts, and graphics that left kids with pockets emptied of quarters.  With audio advice from a synthesized voice and absence of ongoing theme music, Gauntlet was a game that stood out from the pack with its unique flair, multi-player options, and massive amounts of enemies to destroy.

 

Feedback

Hasan (@RoninBoba) chimes in on his memories of Double Dragon as well as his appreciation for Alan Silvestri’s music.  Matt (GeekyCatholicDad.com) also talks about Silvestri’s work and has high hopes for the Ready Player One score.  John sends a message via Facebook about going to Luke Skywalker Jr. High in Claremont San Diego.  Well, it was actually called Hale Jr. High, but Mark Hamill went there just the same.  Cool!

 

Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, or lend your voice to our discussion about Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, Ray Harryhausen, cereal, and Gauntlet or other video games by giving the ‘Dads your feedback on voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com

 

Share and enjoy.

Direct download: TRDads_05.18.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 5:00am EDT

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