Tag: 2023

Hey there Somethings, Podcast Rob here!

So.. there’s this disturbing trend happening lately on streaming services, and I think it’s time we talk about it.

Recently, shows like “Grease : Rise of the Pink Ladies” , “Star Trek : Prodigy” and “The Quest” have not only been cancelled, but the decision has been made to completely remove those shows from their respective streaming platforms.

The claim (by studios/platforms) is tax write offs, but, let’s look at the larger underlying issues involved, for there are other, deeper (un)intended consequences involved in my opinion…

Sure, business is business, and the almighty dollar speaks loudly.  Yes, I get that it costs companies money to take up their server space with shows no longer being made.  But, in the current climate with the Writer’s strike, it feels more telling as to a big reason services are purging things from their platforms….residuals.

Now, is it intentional by the platform providers to screw over the writers/actors/directors and anyone else who gets (or would get) paid from having a show stream? Or is it an ‘unintended consequence’ of the provider getting a tax write off that?  The way the providers are trying to play hardball, I can’t see this an anything other than (another) slap in the face to those who make the content.  And, unfortunately (for everyone else.. not those at the top…) cutting content/inventory/personnel (looking at you TCM) to ‘save money due to slumping sales/profits’ is a self-fulfilling prophecy, because now.. people will look elsewhere for that content (if it gets picked up by another provider) or.. determine (like I did with Netflix), that ‘enough is enough’ and just drop the service completely.

Now, maybe it’s a part of the ‘entitlement culture’ that we as consumers believe that just since we’re paying for a streaming service, that all shows and movies etc. should be available till the end of time, but to be fair, the services themselves set that expectation in the early days of the Cable Wars when they were encouraging folks to cut the cord and watch everything ‘on demand’, so.. should they really be shocked when subscribers jump ship and follow the content, or just jump ship in general?

What are your thoughts?  Hit our socials and let us know what you think, and get ready for a month-long celebration of our 10 year podiversary in July!

– PCR

Whaddaya call a podcast bout a bunch of stuff?
I don’t know Dad, what?
SomethingSomethingcast, Carl…..  SOMETHIN SOMETHIN!

So it is the end of the world as we know it, and honestly nobody seems fine at all. There’s zombies, there’s drama, there’s baseball bats, and was the destination worth the journey or was it all just a set-up for some new journeys? We discuss the end of the iconic horror series The Walking Dead this week on The End!

Ok, here we go Carl…. HERE WE GO!

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A long time ago I shunned the X v Y arguments. I use Android, but I know some people should use IOS. I play most games on PC, but console gaming will never not be an invalid choice. I don’t drink soda, but prefer Pepsi because my tastebuds are weird.  I like dragons and fantasy and elves, but can’t read Tolkien. Wars is fun, but Trek is mine…

Which leads me to my discussion of the EU of Star Trek and Star Wars and just how amazingly different they are and why, I feel like I can say with no dismissal of your fandom, that the modern Star Trek has proven to be so much of a better road than the modern Star Wars – and we can see the problem with both in the same man.

JJ ABRAMS

Look, obviously we have a bone to pick with him for a certain island, but even during my lovey dovey phase where he could do no wrong, he still boned Star Trek by turning it into a Star Wars resume. Then, when he got to Star Wars, the project it felt like he really wanted.. well, it went as well as it did. I’d almost believe that nostalgia sequels were impossible, except that Star Trek has shown precisely how to do it.

Discovery is for folks who want new ‘in universe’ stories. Picard is for people who want nostalgia that pays homage to what came before it and is wall to wall with nods to where the future took these characters. Strange New Worlds is for the people that want hidden stories from the time they remember. Lower Decks is for the people that want to mock what they love.  All of them done with care and craft, adding to the mythos without retreading it. Does Picard make a direct reference to ‘Farpoint’ the first mission of The Next Generation, directly – but it is acknowledged as such, and it is there to teach a lesson about what the ‘old guard’ knows that the new guard doesn’t. It’s that knowledge that aids the characters instead of new characters just doing it all over again.

…you know, like how the evil guy builds a big evil killer planet eating sphere laser and the heroes go flying in a trench to blow it up.  Again.

The Trek shows aren’t without their nitpicks, especially if you are a purist – but lets be real here, if you are a purist of anything you probably aren’t ever going to be happy.

You know what also does nostalgia relaunch better than Star Wars?  Chucky.  By, like.. miles.

You know anything else better than Star Wars? Sound off in all the places and Live Long & Propsper.
– Hatton

Deep in the desert lay a few miles of land that have been home to countless secrets. Some we know… others we don’t. From alien landing pads to the home of the tech we have just not seen yet, this small patch of land in Nevada is the place where the Somethingverse Thrives… so join us as we go rave in the sand and Naruto run our way to The Wheel – Area 51

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Hey Somethings, PCR here (again!)

Hatton is still unwinding from his time away and coming to terms with the fact that “The Last Day Of Your Vacation Is Literally Hell On Earth”, so this week’s blog is once again from me, myself and I (those of you old enough… you’re welcome for the earworm).

With next year being our Month-Long Podiversary, I wanted to tease some changes we’re going to be rolling out!

Let’s start at the beginning!

The first episode of any given month has been, and will continue to be, our “Podcast Episode” as we call it behind the scenes (catchy name, right!?).  This is our episode where we get to primarily do things like our “List” shows and such.  It’s what we started out doing, and while we’ve seen other format shows come and go, this one will stay pretty much the same.

Second and Third weeks are pretty interchangeable depending on our recording schedule, but typically, second episode of the month has been our “Something In Review” and will remain so.  We’ve never been a “cutting edge info” podcast, so expect to see some more ‘classic’ type movies mixed in.

Third week is “The Wheel”, a favorite of ours and a chance to flex things and get crazy.  We’ll be adding some different topics to the wheel, so don’t be surprised to hear some former shows make a return, and some current show types get added!

Last week of the month was typically our slot for “The End” where we’d just discuss the final episode of a TV show.  We’ll be adding that to “The Wheel” and, going forward, pulling a 180 and trying out a new show called “In The Beginning” where.. you guessed it, we’ll be only discussing show pilots.  We’re excited for it, and we’ll see how it rolls!

Months with a 5th week will continue to be our ‘Free For All’ shows as they have been in the past.

Looking forward to kicking off our 10 Year Podiversary!  See you there!

– PCR

♫ Antman, Antman,
Does whatever an Ant can..

Is he strong? Listen bud,
we don’t care, it’s Paul Rudd
We watched, and reviewed the Antman ♫

I apologize, there is no feasible way I was concocting a rhyme for the word Quantumania. I’m sorry I’ve disappointed you. Check out our review Antman & the Wasp: Quantumania

Ok, here we go.. but, smaller..

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Hey All, Podcast Rob here.

Not gonna lie, been a rough brain month this month so far, which makes me glad we pre-recorded June to give me a breather and Hatton some well deserved time in “The North”.  That said, I was tooling around on the internet last night (like you do…) and stumbled across a list of ‘restaurants that no longer exist’ and I fell down this rabbit hole sans parachute.

So now I give to you, PCR’s list of ‘Food Places of the Past’…specifically, ones I loved going to.

4 – Steak and Ale

From it’s Tudor style exterior, to it’s salad bar, to it’s… dimly-lit interior, this was a place you went to if you wanted to feel ‘rich and important’ on the cheap.  The prices were good, the steaks were (surprisingly) good and inexpensive, and the overall atmosphere was friendly yet high-class… kind of like a casual Brookstone.. but with food.

3 – Chi Chi’s

Good-sized portions, endless chips, good prices.. what could go wrong? (Hint : Hepatitis A).

True Story. A roomie of mine and I went to a Chi-Chi’s for lunch one day.  After siting there for nearly 30 minutes with no contact from anyone on the wait staff, and having finished our chips, we left and walked next door to a Red Lobster…  where we proceeded to spend almost $200 on lunch and drinks and apps.  Taking a photo copy of the receipt, we went BACK to the Chi-Chi’s where the hostess greeted us and offered to take us to a table.  We explained to her we were there previously, never got helped, so went elsewhere and handed her the copy of our receipt to show what they missed out on.  Ahhhhh.. good times, good times.

2 – A&W Drive Ins

I’ll be honest, the memories of these are foggy as I was VERY young, but I remember the excitement of my mom and dad when we were headed there as a ‘treat’ for us.  I don’t remember anything amazingly special about the food, but the frosted mugs certainly stand out, as does the Root Beer Floats… THOSE I will remember forever.

1 – The Ground Round

Man… to be a kid and go eat here again.  Endless popcorn, the mostly-wood interior, the screen in the middle playing endless Heckle and Jeckle cartoons, the ribs.. THE RIBS MAN… this place was a Shangri-La of fun in the ’80s.  I honestly don’t think there’s anyplace that exists now that is on the same level that The Ground Round was back then.

Ok Somethings, what were YOUR favorite places to eat as a kid?  Chime in on our socials and let us know!

-PCR

Sometimes you get a crazed number one fan.. sometimes you get the Green Goblin car.  Either way, you’re in for a weird day.

The boys gathered together to discuss their favorite Stephen King movies, and along the way some of their least favorite. We assure you, the end of this episode does not include random aliens, so it’s at least as good as half of King’s work.

But settle in, we’re goin to Maine!

Ok, here we go Georgie, BEEP BEEP!

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Hey folks, Hatton here. There have been a glut of Roguelikes that have crossed my path the last few months. Games that change every time you play them. Games that offer you only one life and then you have to start over.

Some of these games gives you a “Rogue-Like” where the game gets easier as you unlock things, but even those start off brutally hard. Here’s a couple I’ve been playing the last few months and dying and dying and dying at.

Crypt of the Necrodancer – It’s well established this game was made for me. It is catching dungeon crawling and beat-landing. It’s DDR in caves. I have played a couple hours of it every week since I got it in 2015 and still have challenges I haven’t come close to yet.

Tales of MajEyal – Out of the games on this list, this is the most hardcore of the Rogue experiences. It’s turn based tiles, stat crunching, a thousand things in your inventory, weird collections of powers, and every time you play you are at square one again. Died on the final boss? Well, welcome to killing rats again, stupid. It’s also brilliantly fun.

Aces & Adventurers – Years ago I had the idea to figure out a way to make solitaire or poker into a dungeon crawler. There have been attempts, but most end up being ‘high card/low card’ or too reliant on the AI not cheating. Aces & Adventures fixed it all. Beautiful story modes, different character builds, it’s like a deck-building game, but with a normal deck of cards. Highly recommended.

And one last one, I’m going to mention DemonCrawl, but it isn’t precisely a Rogue game.. it has some of the hallmarks with random loot, but it is really just a weird game of Minesweeper. Totally worth looking into though.

What Rogues do you like? Nethack? Rogue? Sound off in all the usual places.

As we do every year, the Somethings were honored to be a part of Livestream For The Cure, and it feels only right – since it is a 5 week month, to share our segment with you folks.  If you didn’t get a chance to hang out with us, you can see the whole stream on Twitch (link above).

Last year, Rob put Nick and Hatton up to the movie quote challenge.. this year, Hatton is the quizmaster and he has invented his own game, or.. kinda like 5 of them. All the while PCR takes shots on donations.  What could go wrong?

Thank you again Nick (of Nikoli’s Kitchen) and we look forward to next year.

Ok, here we go!

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