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Nerdist Camp
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21. Review of 2025
01:16:23||Season 1, Ep. 21Hello there and welcome to a very special bonus episode of Nerdist Camp. I'm joined by my regular partner in crime, the ying to my yang, the Mulder to my Skully, the sausage to my squishy buns, Andi Elliot.Welcome to our review of 2025. We'll take a look back at the episodes of the year, the topics we covered, and we look if anything we talked about needs updating.We're also going to read out some listener's comments that have come into the show, so thanks to everyone who has contributed to those, and we'll be looking if we have anything further to add, or any updates on the topics we covered.We'll also look forward to next year, the topics we will be covering, the features we'll keep, and those we might drop in order to focus on the bits we all love.Our 2025 Episodes:Science fiction Computer Games Bond, James Bond 80s Gameshows Disaster Movies Nuclear Disasters AI Board Games The Promise of Space The War of The Worlds UFO! Titanic Heist Movies Adult Fans of Lego (AFoL) Music Formats and the Rise of Digital John Carpenter Bunkers & The Cold War Bear with me, it's good (films you might give a miss that are worth the time) Christmas Films Christmas ToysTech newsMeet the Archival ‘Magician’ Restoring Massively Degraded Tape Recordings Before They’re Lost to TimeDisney Brings Olaf to Life: The Engineering Marvel Behind a Walking, Talking Robot | The NeuronGoogle Gemini Is Taking Control of Humanoid Robots on Auto Factory Floors | WIREDIn partnership with Boston Dynamics, using their Atlas robotBlu-ray hits 20 years old, and it isn't dead yet — optical disc format was introduced to the public at CES 2006 | Tom's HardwareAccording to Wikipedia various dates are mentioned, but a lot happened in 2006.The first Blu-ray Disc titles were released on June 20, 2006: 50 First Dates, The Fifth Element, Hitch, House of Flying Daggers, Underworld: Evolution, xXx (all from Sony), and MGM's The Terminator. The earliest releases used MPEG-2 video compression, the same method used on standard DVDs. The first releases using the newer VC-1 and AVC formats were introduced in September 2006.This fortnight we are recommendingKris:BBC Radio 4 - One Person Found This Helpful - Frank Skinner. Route MastersThe War of the Worlds - Graphic Novel (Kindle: Dobbs, Cifuentes) - 99p Titanic Sinks Tonight - BBC iPlayerAndi:Carry On Up The Podcast Susan Calman and podcaster and journalist Mike Muncer as they embark on a bumpy chronological journey through every film in the iconic 'Carry On' series...from 'Sergeant' to 'Columbus' via 'Screaming' and 'Camping'! As well as reviewing and ranking each film in the series, Susan and Mike will be discussing the lives and careers of its iconic stars, from Sid James to Kenneth Williams to Barbara Windsor. Deepest Dive - Podcasts on AudibleIn light of the renewed robotic search for MH370 (The company is best known for providing the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust with submersible experts and underwater robots that helped to locate Sir Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship Endurance in 2022).Was it one of the largest ever acts of mass murder, a hijacking that went wrong, or was it something less sinister like technical failure? Co-presented by journalist and broadcaster Jana Wendt and Peter Waring a former Australian naval officer who worked on the search. It re-examines the evidence and tells the inside story of those whose lives have been consumed by aviation’s most perplexing mystery.Dealgorithmed × 001 • Buttondown, a newsletter about the web“The web is still a fucking awesome place. Sure, you can spend an hour doomscrolling Instagram, but you can also browse antique maps and atlases, play delightful word games, watch mesmerizing wind patterns simulations, listen to radio stations from all over the world, generate wacky typographic animations, or learn how to survive a drone.”
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20. Christmas Toys
01:04:03||Season 1, Ep. 20We all remember and know that feeling, not being able to get to sleep the night before due to the pure excitement, the nervousness, the anticipation. Will Santa get it right? Has he listened to what you said when you met him in the shopping centre, on the train, or at the local village hall? Did he read that letter, and did Bernard (head elf), put you on the naughty or nice list? How will he get them down the chimney, and what brand of mince pies does he prefer? So I hope you’re all listening, tucked up in your beads, having been very good boys and girls this year, as we take the wrapper off today’s episode, will it deliver joy and lifelong memories, or will it break straight away or just not come with the batteries? Yes, today we talk about that most wonderful, acquisitional time of the year, those Christmas toys that we loved as a kid, and that we still buy for ourselves as a bigger kid! Today we look at Christmas Toys, old and new. Tech newsRussian cosmodrome platform collapse 20 ton. Pin forgottenNew Tomb Raider games - legacy of Atlantis (TR1) and new game set now. Young Lara and modern LaraThis fortnight we are recommendingMr Inbetween, Disney+Colin From AccountsBBC model shopWe’ll be back with a new Season on the 9th Jan so look out for us then! Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
19. Christmas Films
01:13:46||Season 1, Ep. 19It’s Christmaaaaaaaaaas, well nearly. Yes it’s the run up to the silly season. Whether you’re of the religious persuasion or not, it’s still a time when there might be something interesting on telly, when you might get something you want, and will probably get things you don’t, when you can go “well tacky” with the decorations and completely get away with it and when you can over-eat and over-drink because, let’s face it, the diet is in January!So grab that box of pretzels, the matchmakers, after eights and the Elizabeth Shaw mints, the Celebrations and the Doritos with the regrettably hot dip and slump into your chair, ready to be entertained whilst you much away in your ironically funny Christmas Jumper, even though you’ve just eaten 3 courses of unbelievably rich food, because today, we’re looking at Christmas Films:Tech newsDisney OpenAI DealMcDonalds pulls AI advertGemini gaining on ChatGPT (650 vs 80p million users)This fortnight we are recommendingKris:The Stringer: The Man Who Took The Photo (Netflix, 2025)Inside Job: Animated Comedy Series (Netflix, 2022)Thanks to Andi, loving Man on the Inside and Future ManJust started Season 3 of Resident Alien on Now TV. Kit Betts-Masters (e-ink reviews)Anthony Marinelli Music (hightly recommend the videos on scoring Wargames and Blue Thunder)Andi:Memento Mori: Mexico City - Depeche Mode (concert film and live album)Landman - Paramount+Tested.com - the favourite things videos. Adam, Norm, Cayte
18. Bear with me, it's good!
01:09:07||Season 1, Ep. 18Sometimes there's a film, a film that just chimes with you. Sometimes it's a low budget indie production, shot on a shoestring. Sometimes it's a triple A Hollywood production with a bigger marketing budget than it probably pulled back in release sales. Sometimes, just sometimes, it's that obscure film that you missed the first time around, but once you found it, you just can't live without it in your life. Yes, today we look at those films that are either so bad, that they're actually good, or are hidden or massively underrated gems, that have gained a cult following fire to their utterly unappreciated brilliance. Or, they’re just bad but we love them anyway - a celebration of those weird, awkwardly-shaped films that for some reason just stick with you. There will be honourable mentions, there might be disagreements. Either way it’s a Battle Royale at the Camp!This fortnight we are recommendingKris:Rainy Sunday Afternoon, the Divine Comedy.The Monster of Florence Among Us: Crewmate Edition.Andi:A Man On The Inside, season 2Obligatory Stranger Things mention. Not bothered, but I’ll probably enjoy it. Bit like that long planned event you know you have to go to.The Reunion - The Commitments - BBC SoundsWar Of The Worlds - The Concert TourLinksWizard of Oz at the Sphere
17. Bunkers & The Cold War
01:08:18||Season 1, Ep. 17Some days, the news cycle alone makes a windowless concrete box 20 feet underground sound like a five-star spa. If I hear one more story about Putin's shirtless fishing trips, Trump’s latest bid to annex a golf course, or receive another passive-aggressive email from Heather in HR (“Just circling back”), I swear I’m digging a tunnel straight to my Cold War fallout bunker. Honestly, it’s starting to look like the only sane option. Give me 500 tins of baked beans, 300 cans of prunes in syrup (for that gourmet doom cuisine), a lifetime supply of toilet paper, and a hamster named Sir Whiskerstein powering my vintage record player. I’ll be down there listening to ABBA’s greatest hits while the surface world fights over the last Toblerone Dark, like it’s the Ring of Power. Call it escapism, call it nerdcore survivalism, call it time to actually get some peace and quiet, but whatever you call it, it’s time to crawl out through the fallout baby as today we look at cold war nuclear bunkers…This week we are recommendingKris:Once Upon A Time in SpaceDaisy May & Charlie Cooper's NightwatchMonster: The Ed Gein StoryEd Byrne Needs a New HobbyThreads BBCAlpaka Clutch - Daily CarryOlight Pens & TorchesAndi:Adam Savage's One Day Builds: Cylon Models with Battlestar Galactica's Aaron Douglas! - YouTubeFallout Season 2 Trailer: Lucy and Ghoul Prepare for War in New VegasMonarch: Legacy Of Monsters, season 2 teaserFUTURE MAN S1 Official TrailerSilo — Official Trailer | Apple TV - YouTubeGenesis - No admittance (1991) Remastered - YouTubeOnce We Were Spacemen - Podcast - Apple Podcasts28DaysLater Urban Exploring ForumsPlayPhrase.me: Site for cinema archaeologists.LinksKrisAlpaka - Zip ClutchOlight: Pens, Torches & EDC accessories
16. John Carpenter
01:11:01||Season 1, Ep. 16As Halloween approaches, and we leave behind the 50th Anniversary of Spielberg’s two-note themed horror epic Jaws, we look at another director, one with many iconic horror films under his belt, and one who is not shy of using the two-note theme tune. A Director who has become synonymous with this time of year , but who has also taken us to outer planets as well. A director who is as well known for also creating the soundtracks to his films, as the films themselves. So get ready for Halloween, look out to that Dark Star and hope that, if that Thing comes to get you, you’ll be able to Escape from New York. If you haven't guess already, in honour of Halloween, this week we take a deep dive into the career of John Carpenter.Tech newsAmazon glassesThis week we are recommendingKris:Dark Star (1974).The Penguin LessonsChrome: Dark Reader extension. Andi:Slow Horses, Apple TV+Love, Death + Robots - The Other Large Thing - NetflixThe Rise of the Synths - WikipediaSend your name around the Moon on Artemis II Send Your Name to SpaceHow to Beat ChatGPT: How to Not Say AI killed my job. eBook : Nicholas Bate - Kindle StoreLinksMoontrap (1988) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p] - YouTubeBanned in the 80s: Moments That Shook Music - BBC iPlayerJohn Carpenter on Live Concerts, Unreleased Projects and Love for Cinema
15. Music Formats and the Rise of Digital
01:14:27||Season 1, Ep. 15Welcome to Episode 15 of Nerdist Camp. Yes, we built this episode from scratch, it was a stream of consciousness, so crank up the handle as we take you for a spin on a voyage of disc-covery which you may like a bit if you can work out the algorithm. It’s gonna be a reel joy, but I won’t give you any spoolers just yet, so lets cue the tape and hit record…If you haven’t guessed it already, this episode we’re talking about all things music formats. Tech newsSpotify to add AIAll the gearElgato bought out a bigger prompter (Why?)This week we are recommendingKris:Monster: The Ed Gein StoryPSB Night Flight, The Last Flight remixesExcitedly awaiting the new Tron Ares soundtrackAndiDiscover. Track. Share. - TraktThe Orb - ‘Buddhist Hipsters” Tron AresWatch Drew: The Man Behind the Poster | Prime Video (Drew passed on 13th October)Celebrity Traitors on BBCMerlin’s Café Bar | Birmingham’s Alternative Bar & Restaurant – Cocktails, Food & Events LinksHow a Suzanne Vega Song Helped Create the MP3Suzanne Vega - Reverse MP3Spotify to add AI