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Why Gamers Smurf, The End of Anime, Adults Only Social Media and Poo Pills for Parkinsons
According to surveys, most gamers Smurf - that is high level players using a low level account to stomp noobs. So why do you do it, and is it as bad as it sounds?
The end of anime's Golden Age may be upon us. Miyazaki says so, but he's just won an award for anime. So is it self-deprecating humour or bragging?
The Australian government has suggested social media should be for adults only. The Nerds discuss why this won't work.
Fecal matter transplants are a seemingly miracle treatment for a variety of conditions, and might even slow the progression of Parkinson's disease. You'll have to get over some ick before you go for this treatment though.
Smurfing and no its not about the Smurfs
- https://news.osu.edu/gamers-say-they-hate-smurfing-but-admit-they-do-it/
Miyazaki : The Golden age of anime is over
- https://comicbook.com/anime/news/studio-ghibli-hayao-miyazaki-anime-over/
- https://geektyrant.com/news/hayao-miyazaki-feels-that-the-golden-age-of-anime-is-over
Australia wants a Social Media Ban for under 16 year olds
Poo Pills Part 2
- https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/news/gut-bacteria-transplant-may-improve-parkinsons-movement-symptoms
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589537024001421
Full show notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-Dkz2_c8us-7FtvYuxgmXeVj4kIDB0ugCH5-tpXBzes/edit?usp=sharing
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224. Pay to Win Audio, Netflix to The Rescue and Bacteria Pirates of The High Seas
50:03||Season 1, Ep. 224Call of Duty Black Ops 6 has a new pay to win audio tier using customised Head Related Transfer Functions. Cool tech, but what isn't cool is allowing some players who can afford a subscription to have a gameplay advantage.Netflix are saving the Anime industry by... *checks notes* paying the animators a fair wage. This utterly insane idea will hopefully lead the industry in a better direction, away from child labour and exploitative practices.Aureispira bacteria have been witnessed using grappling hooks and cannons to hunt unsuspecting prey. This pirates of the microscopic world scenario could lead to interesting nanobot technology.COD Black Ops 6 new tier…enhanced headphone mode- What exactly is up with Black Ops 6's 'Enhanced Headphone Mode' and its $20 paid tier | PC Gamer Netflix is saving anime- Netflix Reveals How It's Helping Save the Anime Industry in Massive New Report Bacteria Pirate AHOY- Microscopic pirates attack with cellular cannons and grappling hooks Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hg0UI_Up_OHHLvAm0TE6A3dIAiX2B5XByJxjCS3VFX8/edit?usp=sharingFollow us onFacebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@nerdsamalgamated142223. AI propaganda, Playstation Vs Hackers, and Bringing Back The Dead Thylacine
50:12||Season 1, Ep. 223A minor actor has had his identity used to create Venezuelan propaganda. He's not too happy about that, and hopes the unions will be able to prevent this in the future.Playstation have spent ten years suing a company for making hacks for their games, and they just lost. While this might lead to a proliferation of cheaters, we're more excited about the legal protection for modding.The Tasmanian Tiger has been extinct for less than a hundred years, and an American company reckon they can bring it back to life. DJ is worried about a Jurassic Park situation. Also, that mini moon we spoke about last week might actually be a good place to mine.AI Avatar-- ‘Prometheus’ Actor Warns Against AI Avatars After He Says Face Used For Venezuelan Propaganda Playstation Parasite mods-- PlayStation loses fight in EU courts to stop sale of 'parasite' mods because, among other reasons, a book author can't stop 'the reader from skipping to the end' | PC Gamer Bringing back the dead through the power of SCIENCE & mini moon update-- Colossal Biosciences behind thylacine de-extinction effort announces genome progress, but others call for peer review - ABC News -- Earth’s New Mini-Moon is Sign of Tremendous Potential for Space Mining, Scientists Say | Sci.News Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mrPq3o38qfSneeVTt7B03l8jDeUAf4oyhg-CqdyvwUI/edit?usp=sharing Follow us onFacebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@nerdsamalgamated142222. Nobel Prizes, The Real Cost of Game Piracy and Hollywood's Direction
49:43||Season 1, Ep. 222The Nobel Prizes for 2024 have been awarded. AI. AI everywhere...A study has attempted to estimate the actual cost of game piracy for developers who use Denuvo DRM. Is it really worth using on games?Hollywood has changed a lot in the last few decades with the rise of streaming. Some insiders have concerns about its ability to adapt.Nobel Prize 2024 Winners- Nobel Prize 2024: All the Winners | TIME Game Piracy and its costs- The true cost of game piracy: 20 percent of revenue, according to a new study - Ars Technica Industry Veterans question Hollywood’s direction- Industry Veteran Jeff Sagansky Rebukes Hollywood Studios for Decisions Leading to ‘Unbelievable Cataclysm in the Business’ Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1969WJIcl-T2aR8Imo9wCC5SpEVE8X9IGvUL2QHsbJlc/edit?usp=sharing Follow us onFacebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@nerdsamalgamated142221. The Future of the Sims, Responding to Toxic Fans and Plastic Eating Bacteria
46:53||Season 1, Ep. 221EA have announced that they aren't working on The Sims 5 after a decade. Instead, they're farming out future content releases to the fans. Is this a sign of EA's laziness or is it the right move?Toxic fans ruin everything. Fortunately, studios are developing techniques for protecting actors and fans from their actions.A recently discovered bacteria eats plastic. Yay. Also not yay. Can it cause a grey goo scenario? We hope not.The future of The Sims-- EA turns to the fans to keep The Sims relevant | GamesIndustry.biz Hollywood vs Toxic fandom-- Toxic Fandom: How Hollywood Is Battling Fans Who Are ‘Just Out for Blood’ — From Social Media Boot Camps to Superfan Focus Groups Wastewater bacteria can now eat plastics-- Wastewater bacteria can breakdown plastic for food Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pn16eNBRkHN3VIxJdAnmkicEAtP5Xk-5VN5O4YtI7aY/edit?usp=sharing Follow us onFacebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@nerdsamalgamated142220. Steam Record Playercounts, Suing OpenAI and Earth's New Moon
54:13||Season 1, Ep. 220Steam has once again broken their record for most concurrent users online. So where are all these new users coming from? What do they want? What does this mean for the future of Steam?OpenAI is being sued for copyright infringement. If they lose it could mean the end of the existing LLM AI hype.For the next few months Earth will have a new moon too small to see with the naked eye. Well maybe you can see it if you squint a bit.Newly released steam player counts-- https://x.com/tomwarren/status/1837858638620176459 The People vs OpenAI-- OpenAI Training Data to Be Inspected in Authors' Copyright Cases The Mini Moon-- 'Mini Moon' to orbit Earth for two months -- A Two-month Mini-moon: 2024 PT5 Captured by Earth from September to November - IOPscience Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/15G9fdZgI5cZjUx8-GNT56HtCU9yr587jZjsa8tcbDW0/edit?usp=sharing Follow us onFacebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@nerdsamalgamated142219. R18 for Gambling Games, Lionsgate AI and How Sleep Resets Your Brain
01:26:40||Season 1, Ep. 219Australia has now brought in an R18 rating for games featuring gambling. We discuss the merits behind this change and whether it will really protect the children from gambling addictions.Lionsgate have decided to use AI to create AI generated "augmentations" to their films. We go deep on deep fakes, and appropriate usage of AI.New research explains how sleep resets your brain and prepares it for learning more the next day. So learn how science might help you reach your full potential by sleeping more.New changes to Australian gaming- Australia introduces new "mandatory classifications" for games with "gambling-like" content | GamesIndustry.biz Lionsgate now with A.i.- Lionsgate partners with AI firm to train generative model on film and TV library | Movies | The Guardian Sleep resets everything- Scientists discover sleep "reset" mechanism in the brain that prevents memory overload Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c-fnwq6Ql6OoeGXyuR3G05sPw9mktWURKf79JuWi2r4/edit?usp=sharing Follow us onFacebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@nerdsamalgamated142218. Oxenfree Erasure, Disney Vs Peter Cushing, Gene Editing & A New Nerd Approaches
01:24:05||Season 1, Ep. 218A New Nerd Approaches and his name is Phoenix If you own the game Oxenfree through Itch.io, you're about to lose access to it. The Netflix owned games studio is pulling the game from storefronts and libraries, leaving nothing in its wake. This time, even if you own it, you won't be able to download it. This should be completely unacceptable, so how do we fight back?Disney didn't have the rights to use Peter Cushing's likeness in Rogue One, and they're being sued about it. We discuss IP law and the right someone has to their own face.Gene editing is a new technology that could allow us to create new and improved forms of existing animals and plants that are more resilient to climate change and disease. Is this the solution to all our problems?Oxenfree erasure- Another reminder that your digital library isn't forever: Oxenfree will be completely removed from Itch.io next month | PC Gamer Another Disney Lawsuit- After UK Judge Denies Disney's Attempt To Dismiss, Lawsuit Alleging Peter Cushing's Likeness Was Used Without Permission In 'Rogue One' Headed To Trial - Bounding Into Comics Gene editing and its results- The great gene editing debate: can it be safe and ethical? Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R7NG58u84Zs-JY8elnxilRD2sJfbq5LLmuPuFqIJjEA/edit?usp=sharingFollow us onFacebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@nerdsamalgamated142217. Japanese Censorship, Humans in Heat & Jenna Ortega on Women Led Franchises
46:56||Season 1, Ep. 217Suda51 and Shinji Mikami got together to talk about Japan's CERO system of games classification. They've raised some excellent points about the inconsistencies in the system.Humans don't like the heat much. New research shows that the fatal limit for temperature and humidity might be much lower than expected.Jenna Ortega thinks more women led franchises should be original IPs, not gender flipped traditionally male roles. This take is certainly not controversial and won't lead to heated arguments in comment sections around the internet.Pushback against Japanese Censorship in games- Shinji Mikami slams video game censorship in Japan: “The rules are made by people who don’t play games” - AUTOMATON WEST Humans in heat- Scientists testing deadly heat limits on humans show thresholds may be much lower than first thought - ABC News Woman should have own franchises – Jenna Ortega- Jenna Ortega Says Women Should Have Their Own Franchises: “I Don't Want 'Jamie Bond'” - “I just read it and went, oh sh*t” Jenna Ortega & Catherine O’Hara on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vf8IQVWuZni1P1bumPi6OHkffsziC_pmZ4XFbL2EIaw/edit?usp=sharing Follow us onFacebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@nerdsamalgamated142216. How Epic Store Finds Users, Debunking the Marshmallow Test & Banning Fake Reviews
01:11:26||Season 1, Ep. 216Epic Games Store's long running free games program seems to be paying off for their user acquisition strategy, despite their low sales of exclusives. They still can't hold a candle to Steam though.The Marshmallow test is supposed to determine a child's future. The latest studies actually debunk it, and prove that you really aren't limited. At least not that way.The US FTC has finally banned fake reviews. YAY. We'll see how they enforce it but hopefully this leads to a major reduction in fraud.Epic games free giveaway - Epic Games' free game giveaways have been "magical" for user acquisition | GamesIndustry.biz Debunking the Marshmallow testing- Delay of gratification and adult outcomes: The Marshmallow Test does not reliably predict adult functioning - Sperber - Child Development - Wiley Online Library- Delay of gratification and adult outcomes: The Marshmallow Test does not reliably predict adult functioning FTC vs Reviews- New 163-Page FTC Regulation Bans Fake Reviews, Testimonials, And More In "Final Rule" - What Does It Mean For Review Bombing? - Bounding Into Comics Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1S1JXbx8j5kULMFGaHMONym5vt2dSG68stYsHlHGxEv8/edit?usp=sharing Follow us onFacebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@nerdsamalgamated142