The Two Vague Podcast

In this storytelling-heavy episode, Madison joins Ben to reminisce about the days of their youth.  The hosts compare their experiences as children and reflect upon how these events have impacted their lives.  Ben and Madison grew up in very different households, yet they share some common personality traits… aside from being “birthday twins!”  Madison has minimal experience and interest in video games, but she still has thought provoking questions for Ben about how his hobby shaped him as a person.  As an added bonus, we get to hear a genuine laugh from Madison when she is educated about the “hot girl walk.”  
 
00:00:24 - Madison doesn’t get the Ice Cube song reference… illustrating Ben’s old nickname00:01:53 - Madison’s interest in the word childhood… compare and contrast… stability00:04:30 - Looking forward to culture shock, going on trips solo, and exploring new places00:07:00 - Madison’s siblings, going to the schools where parents taught, and transitioning 00:09:45 - Apologizing for transgressions, Madison’s musical forte, and the impact of music00:12:52 - Rock music, Neil Diamond, Country Music, and innocence in childhood00:15:41 - “Questions are free,” Madison’s childhood bedroom, and checkerboard and hands00:19:03 - Etymology of the word childhood, Ben thinks of creativity, and oldest memories00:22:11 - Stanley the potbelly pig, and memories of grandparents and great grandparents00:24:01 - The birthday twins discuss the question, “does childhood end at the age of 18?”00:27:56 - Ben remembers the Indiana dunes, how parents meet, and picking your battles00:32:02 - The number 3, dealing with family grief, and “fool me once…”00:34:27 - How divorce impacted Ben’s childhood, independence, and safety in numbers00:37:10 - Allowing children to experience independence, a second childhood, and sneezing00:38:55 - Pinball idiosyncrasies, no interest in video games, and the latchkey kid 00:44:18 - Learning social skills in a mall, and differences in how we develop independence00:48:37 - Work ethics, paper routes, starting fires in Girl Scouts, and asking for money00:51:25 - Madison asks Ben some questions, video game stigmas, and entertainment00:54:25 - Ben talks about going to PAX, pinball back glass art, and Madison loves museums00:56:47 - Nightly routine, “hot girl walk,” Madison laughs for 7 seconds, and walking dates 00:58:13 - Playing soccer in the hallway and being a kid in your own home01:03:36 - Differences in the length of time gamers play consecutively, and smaller experiences01:07:07 - Taking parts of your childhood into the future, differences, and similarities01:11:37 - Stay tuned for forthcoming childhood episodes from Ben and Madison? 
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Norah and Ben are feeling a bit philosophical this week (as illustrated by the topic word), and in our humble opinion they do not disappoint on the discussion front.  First up on the docket, what they have been up to.  Norah has been preparing a (timely) history presentation, and Ben has been playing a Sega game created as an April Fools prank.  The conversation then turns to dystopian themes in fiction and other media.  Ben shares some information about an inclusive community in India before moving to Russia (not literally) and the game Atomic Heart by Mundfish.  Norah closes the show with an interesting question for your post-show debating pleasure.
00:00:21 - Ben doing some “workshopping,” and Norah’s discussion and presentation groups  00:03:03 - Going from being a teacher to being a teacher, and Sonic is murdered?!?00:05:38 - Playing the role of an anthropomorphic quokka that works on the “mystery train”00:08:41 - Starting the conversation with the definitions and origins of utopia and dystopia 00:10:40 - Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels,” and Ben can’t remember the Brobdingnagians00:12:25 - Cacotopians, Anthony Burgess’ quote, and Norah starts sharing her research 00:14:51 - Mango and Bash are being bureau-cats, types of control, and data collection00:17:00 - Differing opinions on the word apocalypse, and authors of dystopian fiction 00:20:02 - Phillip K. Dick is a strange Dick, Norah’s not a fan of Sci-Fi, and Mexican food00:23:18 - Book burning, self-expression, Lithuanian story, and Ben doesn’t care for that Hitler00:26:03 - Dystopian themes, Willian Golding’s “Lord of the Flies,” and a “real” utopia 00:28:33 - BuzzFeed’s “Follow This” Auroville (City of Dawn) investigation by Editor Rega Jha00:31:18 - The 4 point charter, other episode of Follow This, and the problem with humans00:38:02 - Ben’s experiences with the game Atomic Heart and its 1950’s dystopian setting 00:40:07 - The brief history of Facility 3826, and could robots create a utopia?00:42:49 - Controversial rumblings about Mundfish and the release of Atomic Heart 00:45:40 - The Ministry of Digital Transformation, video game revenue models, and tanks00:48:02 - A love letter to BioShock, what Ben enjoyed in the game, and obvious Easter eggs00:52:45 - Things Ben thought needed additional development attention in Atomic Heart00:54:24 - ELEVATORS, loading screens on the PS5, and dystopias in real life00:57:33 - Closing the show with Norah’s philosophical question about a dystopia   

Special guest Brian, the mastermind behind the “My Weekly Mixtape” podcast, joins Ben this week for an episode steeped in their childhood nostalgia!  The word is mixtape, and the hosts will be talking at length about their experiences and memories making them.  It wouldn’t be the Two Vague Podcast if there wasn’t a diversion or two along the way, but then Ben has a surprise for Brian to close out the show.  They are going to make a MIXTAPE (sort of) composed of a list of memorable arcade games past and present!
00:00:21 - Introducing Brian and his “My Weekly Mixtape” podcast 00:03:05 - Brian and his buddies curated gaming centric mixes for sleepovers00:06:13 - What sorts of shows are coming to MWM, and “musically and edibley”00:09:12 - Teaching the younger viewers(?), tape customizations, and the gift of music 00:12:55 - Efficiency, “measure twice, cut once,” definition of mixtape, history, and statistics00:16:18 - The fragility of cassette tapes, the worst band of all time, and not very becoming 00:17:58 - Ben bought the “Vivid” album 5 times, and home recording was NOT killing music00:20:30 - Ignoring the innuendo in music, rumors in the time before Google, and Zima00:23:44 - A mixology warning from Brian, get off the Zima, and Ben’s mixtapes for purposes00:27:12 - Brian’s fascination with radio, using “deep cuts,” and an album’s track order00:31:45 - Where Ben and Brian developed their love of music, and playing an instrument 00:34:10 - “Hot Cross Buns,” the devil’s instruments, and Brian and Ben’s game preferences00:37:34 - Conflicting opinions on “Space Ace,” the Sega CD, and the ESRB00:40:23 - Nintendo games with the family, the art style of Don Bluth, and Brian’s assignment
00:43:25 - Brian and Ben create a 10 game arcade using the patented(?) MWM approach
 00:43:35 - Game #1 BRIAN - Konami 1988 - The Main Event  00:46:55 - Game #2 BEN - Konami 1987 - Contra 00:48:17 - Game #3 BRIAN - Midway 1997 - NFL Blitz 00:50:40 - Game #4 BEN - Atari 1988 - Cyberball 00:52:03 - Game #5 BRIAN - Nintendo 1984 - Duck Hunt 00:53:42 - Game #6 BEN - Williams 1984 - Turkey Shoot  00:54:45 - Game #7 BRIAN - Devecka Enterprises 1997 - MTV Drumscape  00:57:53 - Game #8 BEN - Bally Midway 1983 - Journey 01:00:52 - Game #9 BRIAN - Namco 2005 - Mario Kart Arcade GP 01:02:10 - Game #10 BEN - Taito 1989 - Night Striker
01:03:05 - Brian and Ben’s closing thoughts on the word mixtape
Check out Brian’s My Weekly Mixtape website for links to his social media offerings, as well as the show’s episodes and Spotify playlists! https://myweeklymixtape.com/

Norah joins Ben this week on a show that is rated V for vague!  They are taking about the word rating for about 83 percent of the show, and they hope that your interest, in this specific case, is very high!  Get it?  After sharing what they have been watching recently, they dive right in to the definition.  Ben explores the nature of MPAA movie ratings, examines their relation to censorship, and provides a couple of examples from two of his favorite movies… Galaxy Quest and Robocop.  Norah recalls her experiences in advertising, drops some Michelin restaurant knowledge, and relays positive vides on the work of Consumer Reports.  Finally, the discussion turns to the US government and how a congressional hearing and the strange game Night Trap helped to shape the ESRB’s video game ratings system. 
 
00:00:21 - Ben tries something new, and Norah saw the “Little Jagged Pill” musical00:03:00 - Ben’s dad joke about mediocrity, and then he apologizes for getting a name wrong00:05:10 - Ben buys a movie to repent and tells Norah about the premise for “Be Kind Rewind”  00:09:25 - The definition according to Ox Ford Languages, yachts, and angry reprimands00:12:45 - Again with the Google N-gram Viewer, and Ben unintentionally tests Norah 00:15:33 - Norah thinks that the definition needs to be simplified, and Ben can’t affords a yacht00:17:54 - Mild censorship and how ratings can control what you read, view, play, etc.00:20:56 - The subjective nature and the sliding scale of ratings systems00:23:07 - From the Hayes Code to the MPAA rating system… is it still censorship?00:26:28 - Bring your lawyer to the movie theater, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization00:28:56 - Example of how the movie industry uses ratings to stifle creativity: “Galaxy Quest”00:31:34 - Robocop, Siskel and Ebert, and Ben’s rendition of the “At the Movies” theme00:36:44 - Norah explains the origin of Michelin star ratings00:39:28 - Consumer Reports, schools, grades, books, and Neilson Ratings00:43:40 - Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes, on a scale of 1 to boring, and Norah’s tiny rebellion00:46:30 - Ben’s impression… video games are not always completed before they are reviewed00:49:29 - The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) and their classifications 00:51:14 - Atari 2600 pornographic games, cartoon violence, and congressional hearings00:53:21 - Ben explains the convoluted narrative and simple gameplay of Night Trap00:58:43 - The United States 103rd Congress intervenes, and the creation of Night Trap 01:02:28 - Ninja burglars, Vampires, non-reproducible violence, and the 25th Anniversary01:05:17 - One of the worst ranking systems is one that doesn’t take history in to account01:09:05 - Final thoughts… subjectivity, parents, tools, subtle neglect, and individuality01:12:21 - Ben agrees with Norah, a VERY late tangent, and goodbye

Amaya is in the “studio” this week with Ben and the pod-cats.  Amaya and Ben are eager to talk about the topic word and their individual healing journeys, but first, Amaya sets a challenge for herself (for the record the tally was “one hundred percent”=1 and “totally”=4, so only 5 punches were required).  It should go without saying, but as always with these two, there will be a wide assortment of tangents explored including: Michel Gondry movies, medical symbols, bandaids, recreational drug experience stories, and the joys of being single.  To wrap it up, the hosts talk about the unique storytelling in Witch Beam’s 2021 game “Unpacking,” their favorite “comfort food” games, and FLOOR CHICKEN?
 
00:00:21 - Amaya says we’re on a healing journey, and the “hot girl walk”00:02:00 - Hold Amaya accountable by punching yourself, and the definitions of the word heal00:04:20 - Origin of the world heal, Ben ponders, and the first thing Amaya thinks of00:06:41 - Part of the healing arc is finding the new normal, and the origin of the podcast00:09:15 - The ways we manage our stress, the importance of feeling okay, and journaling 00:12:21 - Ben’s sage-like advice about forgiveness, and Amaya doesn’t have a time machine00:14:42 - “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” and the concept of erasing memories00:16:50 - Ben takes Amaya down the Michel Gondry rabbit hole  
 
*** Ben would like to apologize to Michel Gondry for calling him Michael; he sincerely apologizes for any undue harm that has befallen Michel’s family as a result of his ignorance.
 
00:19:10 - Ben talks about the curious case of the Caduceus and the Rod of Asclepius 00:21:33 - Different rods… Caduceus, Asclepius, and… OF DEATH!00:23:34 - Using bandaids for attention, imagining getting shot, and the healers of the world00:26:22 - Amaya talks about “The Body Keeps the Score…” by Bessel van der Kolk00:28:31 - Different types of healing, being labeled as an introvert, and conversational burnout00:31:55 - Knowing yourself, being single, social norms, and finding your own stability00:35:54 - Finding comfort in spirituality and hope, and medicinal healing with mushrooms00:38:13 - LSD brain, Timothy Leary, and learning from other people’s drug experiences 00:41:29 - Knowing people struggling with addiction, “Beautiful Boy,” and comedy00:43:27 - Talking about the wonder game “Unpacking” and it’s “narrative” about healing 00:46:29 - The awards won by Unpacking, and how Wren Brier came up with the concept00:49:26 - Minecraft, The Sims, Animal Crossing, and The Last of 1 and 200:52:50 - Amaya’s Rock Band drumming and the healing power of music00:54:01 - Upcoming guest Brian Colburn and his new show My Weekly Mixtape
*** Check out Brian’s show on you favorite podcast services or from the website at https://myweeklymixtape.com/
 
00:58:18 - What the heck is “floor chicken?”01:00:12 - Final thoughts on the word heal 

This special episode represents a new direction that we are going in the future (since our “Only Fans” page didn’t take off like we expected).  Since the pandemic reaction videos have been all the rage, and we’re feeling a little left out, so we are announcing our switch to Two Vague Reactions: audio only reactions to video content!  You can follow along or just listen to us react to stuff!
Amaya joins Ben this week to react to the Death Stranding Director’s Cut trailer.  There’s something for everyone in this video… tar-like goop, packages, Norman Reedus, rain that accelerates time, the song Goliath by Woodkid (which we can’t include in the recording due to copyright), and premature babies in jars!  Following the “whatever is applicable”-along, the hosts will discuss there thoughts and feelings about the video and the game if they have played it.  FUN!
00:00:42 - Prepare for your boat to be rocked!
00:02:12 - START the trailer here00:06:57 - trailer END… let’s talk about it!
00:07:14 - Hideo Kojima’s legacy and what did Amaya think of the trailer?00:09:01 - BBs, BTs, and an acid trip that lasts upwards of 50 hours00:10:15 - The cut scenes explain the story, but they are far too long00:12:00 - Games as art and complaining about the audience00:13:38 - Cetacean stranding and director’s cuts00:16:27 - A difference of opinion about the movies Tenet and Inception00:19:00 - Ben’s Edward Cullen story, and the final opinion! 

This week Ben takes Norah on an adventure with a word she has no interest in, but first Norah talks about three games she tried playing while she was visiting her nephew.  After the pleasantries, Norah fastens her seatbelt and prepares to be bombarded with Ben’s research.  Subjects and diversions include: memories of historical news moments, “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension,” the found footage movie genre, the first found footage film, and the video game designs of Sam Barlow. 
 
00:00:21 - Norah is back from Arizona, and Ben decides that Norah needs a manservant.00:02:42 - Games Ben and Norah played: “Dragon’s Crown,” “Katamari Damacy,” and…00:05:22 - “It Takes Two!”  What does Norah think of when she thinks of video games? 00:07:52 - Ben is proud, Norah swears like a sailor, and THE Sacagawea00:09:21 - Norah’s foot age is 76, Ben thinks he has tiny feet, and “are you nuts?”00:11:13 - The origin of the term footage, movies, sizes, and watching the news00:13:44 - The Space Shuttle Challenger, Apollo 11, actually awesome, and advertising00:17:22 - Memorable news and the declining value of footage and video 00:21:38 - Thought experiments and the found footage movie genre00:24:21 - Concert footage, The Beatles, Peter Jackson, Yoko Ono, and “Cannibal Holocaust”  00:27:32 - A movie summary, Italian exploitation cinema, and Red Brigades terrorism 00:31:17 - Ben shows his gullible side, DVD and Blu-Ray extras, and the watermelon 00:38:18 - British video game designer Sam Barlow and the unique storytelling in “Aisle”00:43:18 - Ben’s thoughts on the 2015 game “Her Story,” written and directed by Sam Barlow00:45:11 - Ben played “Telling Lies,” but he wasn’t impressed and has feedback00:47:56 - “Immortality” from 2022 is Ben’s favorite Sam Barlow / Half Mermaid game00:56:09 - Norah’s final thoughts equals zero, and Ben says check out “Immortality”00:58:45 - Ben gets distracted with talk of pinball machines and dispenses some trivia

Ben is joined by Norah this week, and cooperatively they investigate this week’s word.  Things out a little slow conversationally, but then their on-brand rampant digression kicks in with topics such as television procedurals, the “cozy” genre of mysteries, the movie adaptation of Japanese author Kōtarō Isaka’s black humour thriller novel “Maria Beetle,” Ben’s favorite Chris Columbus movie script, and Scandinavian Noir.  To close out the show, Norah listens intently while Ben talks about some of his favorite mystery themed point and click adventure games and Nintendo DS games from Capcom’s Shu Takumi.  In the final words, Norah includes a book series recommendation (Jutta Profijt’s “Morgue Drawer”), and Ben casually endorses the television series “iZombie.”
00:00:21 - Surf’s up in Chicago, 8AM installations, and what Norah is watching00:04:27 - State of mind, predictability, life things, mysteries of the sexes, and pod people00:07:21 - From digressions to definitions, the death of Raquel Welch, and Ox N. Ford 00:11:00 - Origins of mystery, mysticism, Ben’s personal definition, and the denouement 00:13:40 - Guitars, books, television, movies, and the genre of the Cozy Mystery00:18:18 - Egg preparations, the golden age of detective fiction, and “Abracadaver!”00:21:35 - Movie mystery preferences, cycling streaming services, and greed00:23:57 - Ben talks “Bullet Train” directed by a Brad Pitt / Jean-Claude Van Damme facsimile 00:29:00 - Storytelling preferences for mystery movies, and Norah’s cozy mystery trajectory 00:31:41 - The procedural mystery, character development in television, and realism 00:34:44 - Scandinavian Nior, IKEA, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, and the Hardy Boys00:38:35 - Enola Holmes, messing with Sherlock Holmes cannon, and Chris Columbus movies00:42:22 - Norah adds one more before moving on to mystery games… questionable meat!
00:43:39 - Correction: “Grim Fandango” was Tim Schaffer’s second game as a project leader
00:46:45 - “Sam & Max Hit the Road,” the largest ball of twine, and other roadside attractions00:49:19 - “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney,” “The Thing” in Arizona, and to-do lists00:52:10 - Ben explains Shu Takumi’s “Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective” to Norah00:55:13 - An interesting Nintendo direct remaster announcement, more trivia, and a step00:57:57 - Starting the wrap-up, a couple of recommendations, and ending mystery

This week, Norah joins Ben to talk about a subjective… subject.  The word is art, so prepare yourself for a more philosophical episode than you're used to.  The hosts share their love of observing, appreciating, making, and talking about art.  Ben tells a few stories, Norah brings her research, and they both drop many artist and architect names.  For details about the episode’s "video game bookends," see below! 
Video games mentioned or discussed (albeit briefly) in this episode include: 
Mahjong Dimensions - by Arkadium
Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! - GAME FREAK
The Grand Theft Auto franchise - Rockstar Games
World of Demons - PlatinumGames
Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, and Dragon’s Crown - Vanillaware
Jet Set Radio - Smilebit and Sega
The Borderlands franchise - Gearbox Software
00:00:21 - Chicago snowstorms, gauntlets, removable hands, and one big wind tunnel
00:02:30 - What we are playing these days: Mahjong Dimensions and Pocket Card Jockey
00:05:27 - An impromptu endorsement of Apple services and products
00:06:40 - Art according to Oxford Languages, the 13 Bhutanese Arts, and the Art of War
00:10:30 - Subjectivity, relativity, no abbreviations, “art thou,” and ars 
00:12:20 - Personal meanings of the word, Ben’s arts of podcasting, and NFT-like episode titles
00:15:30 - Ben asks, “when you follow a pattern, are you creating art?”
00:17:42 - Norah’s “not normal people” when drawing and painting, and Ben’s modern art 
00:20:46 - Paint by numbers is so much easier with iPads, and representative art philosophy
00:26:28 - Impressionism, art as form, Norah loves Frank Gehry, and noisy mimes
00:33:32 - Architecture of Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 
00:35:47 - Ben’s Mister 20 / POÄNG chair diversion, and an architect’s furniture designs 
00:38:51 - HEY GRAHAM!  Do you know what would make this podcast better?
00:40:42 - Norah’s experiences at this year’s International Puppet Festival in Chicago
00:43:19 - Bad puppet show criteria, Tony Scott, and thinking about what isn’t art
00:45:51 - Paul’s impressive latte art, art student Dread Scott, and the movie “So Fine”
00:50:38 - The use photorealism and other stylistic choices in video games
00:54:09 - Ben loves Vanillaware Ltd.  games, and talks about the company’s history
00:57:25 - Ben tries to explain hand painted images, RTS games, and pointless teasers 
01:00:01 - “Better Off Ted,” Jabberwocky, and Ben loses his train of thought
01:02:20 - Norah impressed by the art style of “World of Demons”
01:04:28 - The cel shading game art style, ne’er-do-wells, graffiti art, and Jean-Michel Basquiat 
01:08:40 - Perceptions of art, closing thoughts, the art of shame 
If episode graphics are not displayed or supported by your preferred podcast app, you can check them out at www.twovaguepodcast.com .

Joining Ben in the studio this week is Melody… a retired Marine, a student at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, and an amateur bodybuilder in the Women’s Figure Division working toward getting her pro card!  She’s a very busy person, but she was able to make some time to talk to us about this week’s word fit and to educate us about the often misunderstood sport of bodybuilding.  Ben asks some questions that maybe you were afraid to, and he tells an embarrassing first date story.  Melody shares stories about how she and her husband met, how she became interested in the sport through her husband’s preparation to compete in men’s bodybuilding, the importance of finding the right coach, and maybe a little bit about video games at the end. 
00:00:21 - Introducing Melody and talking about what she is doing these days00:02:41 - Fusing spines, mental health, quality of life improvements, and the definition of fit00:04:45 - How the hosts think about fit, and maybe Ben should review the definitions00:06:46 - A skein, a case of mistaken ethnicity, and how Melody met her husband
FUN FACT: a skein is yarn wound into an oblong bundle ready to be used to knit or crochet
00:08:31 - How Melody became interested in bodybuilding, and balancing work/sport/family00:12:04 - Ben’s interest in bodybuilding, differences between NPC and IFBB, and pro cards00:14:40 - Qualifications for “The Olympia” past and present, competition days, and small legs00:18:05 - Ben admits to being a dating moron in his 20s, Diva the gladiator, and confidence00:21:21 - How Melody deals with misconceptions about the sport and body dysmorphia00:24:10 - Bodybuilding in the age of social media, and dealing with bullies as Generation X00:27:33 - Generational perceptions, the importance of a solid coach, and self-coaching00:32:48 - The Women’s Figure Division, differences between divisions, and the X shape00:37:34 - Using Olympia winners as a target, a shoutout to Cyd Gillon, and what is “grainy”00:40:23 - Melody’s future in the Figure Division and her coach’s thoughts on a division change00:43:10 - Ben has questions about performance enhancing drugs in bodybuilding00:47:35 - Bodybuilding choices, myths, addiction, and getting ready for a competition00:50:24 - Ben asks, “do we want to talk about plastic surgery” before talking about it anyway00:52:00 - The benefits of implants during contest preparation, covering muscles, and balance00:55:45 - Five minutes about video games, and Melody’s closing thoughts on the word fit

Paul is back in the studio with Ben this week to talk about his passion for the Moops, which is NOT the sound produced by a cow after making a mistake!  We’re joking, but if you know “the Moops” reference is from the 47th episode of Seinfeld, “The Bubble Boy,” then you are probably very familiar with this week’s word… and a standout at most parties.  To Paul’s delight, the show is liberally peppered with bits of trivia, and there’s a lot to talk about.  Along with the aforementioned  “knowledge nuggets,” topics discussed include: the board game Trivial Pursuit, the “Jeopardy!” game show and it’s current host drama, dictionary facts and differences, bar and handheld device trivia games, and a brief history of (and a sincere outpouring of love for) Jackbox Games!
 
00:00:21 - Ben calls it THE Trivial Pursuit, and Paul addresses Ben’s misconception
00:03:08 - Gameshow aspirations, the computer that could play Jeopardy, and other oddities
00:06:47 - Memorizing things, they don’t support the program, and entomology
00:08:57 - Distracted by kitty love, three roads meeting, the value of trivia, and one more thing
00:11:05 - Dictionary differences, the word literally, the OED, and why buy the cow…
00:13:32 - Ben splits hairs, audience dependence, and little known facts  are cool
00:16:35 - Paul’s passion for trivia, generating interest in topics, and trivia is for everybody
00:20:02 - Trivial Pursuit… trivia, born of Scrabble, a trivia putdown, and troglodytes 
00:23:00 - Ben’s story of gaining respect through trivia, Waiting for Godot, and Ken Jennings
00:27:51 - Cutting out the talking nonsense, and does Ben sound like Ray Romano?
00:29:43 - The host drama, Ken’s friendship with Alex, and be careful what you say
00:33:48 - Sharing the “Jeopardy!” host role, Ken’s podcast “Omnibus,” and NTN trivia
00:36:08 - Ben’s Onyx song reference, automated bar trivia, and Splam11’s trivia nemesis
00:39:41 - Paul’s sports trivia niche, learning facts on Jeopardy, and Jackbox at game nights
00:43:05 - Fortune cookies, Paul’s issue with Trivia Crack, online trivia leagues, and the JCU
00:45:45 - Ben with the trivia league assist, say no to trivia drugs, and Gottleib pinball
00:47:49 - A brief history of (and some trivia about) Jellyvision and Jackbox Games
00:52:05 - Paul’s recent experience with “Trivia Murder Party,” and Jackbox game diversity 
00:54:40 - Fibbage, and a remarkably common yet revolutionary user interface 
00:57:36 - Ben’s experience with the game Tee KO in a What’s Good Games livestream
00:59:47 - Paul’s recent interest in art, “Complete the List” podcast, and closing thoughts

Arden is back in the “studio” along with Ben and his lovable pod-cats to discuss the word chaos… a concept that Mango personifies.  Predictably the conversation starts with Bash causing an avalanche in the Himalayas and then gains entropic momentum.  Ben shares information on his favorite movie True Romance, chaos theory models, the band Luscious Jackson, the Kids in the Hall skit “Jazz Schmazz,” a Flash Gordon “deep cut,” and his work experience with software development.  Arden talks about chaos as it relates to his time playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Elden Ring, the band Mr. Bungle, the “hell in space” movie Event Horizon, and the Risk of Rain game franchise. 
 
00:00:20 - Arden is crushing noobs and finding rings; Ben rolled credits on Cult of the Lamb
00:02:35 - Causing avalanches, comprehending the universe, and sharks in Lake Michigan
00:06:00 - Shark tornado, Summer snowstorms in Ohio, and how can chaos be plural?
00:08:35 - The fake mom, Arden shares the etymology of chaos, and hot hail
00:11:00 - The impactful nature of chaos, making life interesting, and a suitcase full of cocaine
00:14:15 - From Dusk Till Dawn, no lap time for Mango, and does chaos make movies better?
00:16:50 - Christopher Nolan movies, and Ben tries to convince Arden to see Tenet
00:20:50 - “Hell in space” movies and games, Ben in a nutshell, and Contra on a quarter
00:25:30 - Looking like a pelvis, Edward Lorenz’s deterministic chaos, and basic science
00:29:05 - The Butterfly Effect, probability warping superpowers, luck, and determining odds
00:33:34 - Models illustrating chaos, Ben doesn’t like Muppets, and Daughters of the Kaos
00:36:40 - Luscious Jackson, Mr Bungle, and Ben reads a bit from Jazz Schmazz 
00:42:07 - Arden’s experiences with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
00:45:20 - Proximity chat and Reddit user Crescendummain starts an in game taxi service
00:48:23 - Arden talks about his issues with COD:MW2 and “out of touch” game companies 
00:52:55 - Ben’s software development experiences and thoughts on “crunch culture”
00:55:10 - Hate speech in COD:Modern Warfare 2, gender bias today, and GamerGate
00:58:25 - “Actual entropy” and the results of aligning with the Three Fingers in Elden Ring
01:00:50 - A discussion about procedurally and/or randomly generated game content
01:05:00 - Randomization in Risk of Rain, closing wisdom on chaos, and ladder not latter

For the last episode before the first full week of 2023 Ben is sans co-pilot, but he still has a lot to share.  He talks about Boxing Day and memories of his Canada pants before playing a clip of the warmup portion for a forthcoming show featuring returning cohost Paul.  Norah joins their conversation while they discuss trivial facts, and midway she (correctly) points out that they are acting like 6th graders.  Finally, to wrap it all up Ben talks about rogue-like games, bullet hell shooters, and his current game addiction which is Vampire Survivors.
00:00:21 - Ben buys a gift for himself, Boxing Day, and Ben’s Canada Pants00:03:46 - Facts about Boxing Day and Saint Stephen’s Day, and how people celebrate them00:06:30 - An introduction to a meandering Paul, Norah, and Ben conversational warmup
CLIP starts:00:07:01 - The Zardoz reference in the Rick and Morty episode “Raising Gazorpazorp”
00:10:00 - CORRECTION - Zardoz was directed by John (NOT Richard) Boorman
00:10:58 - Barbarella, Paul’s mom’s favorite band, Huey Lewis, and Ben’s first concert 00:12:51 - Calling Norah, filling the brain, Paton Oswalt, and Blade Runner related trivia 00:16:11 - Blade Runner memories, and Norah’s mother takes Ben to see Return of the Jedi00:18:40 - Ben talks about Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s movies Orgazmo and BASEketball  00:21:27 - Apple’s “1984” commercial trivia, and acting like kids in 8th grade 00:24:25 - The bureaucracy in teaching in Indiana, and surveys about providing services00:27:18 - Paul’s “take your kids to work” story and Norah leaves the conversation00:29:31 - Bathroom break, waiting for Paul, DIY shops, and nobody wants your dumb bear00:31:51 - The Hasbro Pulse “Selfie Series” action figures, and being historically accurate
00:36:21 - History of the rogue-like and Rogue: Exploring the Dungeons of Doom00:39:08 - Distinct characteristic: permanent death and procedurally generated environments00:41:55 - “Bullet curtain” games, Recca or Batsugun, and Ben loves “Muchi Muchi Pork!” 00:45:48 - Ben loves Luca Galante’s Vampire Survivors, and some trivia about said game00:49:39 - What words 2VP has in store for Q1 of 2023: Chaos, Trivia, Fit, Art, and Mystery00:51:00 - From the Two Vague Podcast… have a safe and wonderful new year!

After a refreshing holiday respite, Ben is back with his amazing autistic friend Andrew to talk about his latest creative endeavor.  Andrew shares the deets on the contents of and inspiration behind his latest zine, “An Actually Autistic Window on Economics.”  After the definition formalities have concluded, the masters of “stream of consciousness” type conversation, Ben and Andrew, talk about EVs, the perils of Twitter, the building blocks of accounting, child labor, instant coffee, TicketMaster, Lucas Pope’s game “Papers Please,” and and the John Hughes classic “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”  They close the show by discussing weather or not the video games industry is recession-proof.
00:00:21 - Chairs, Stools, and the Poang twins start the show!00:03:03 - Pandemic globalization stories and which word is scarier, economy or economics?00:06:40 - The definition of this week’s word, and marketing brushless power master cars00:10:00 - Etymology, ecology, economics, exactly the same amount of cool, and autism 00:12:52 - The economics of social media, billionaires making trouble, and Weird Al00:16:15 - Reddit for people with short attention spans, and Andrew’s inspiration for the zine00:19:09 - The discipline of accounting, recognizing your own value, and Scrooge McDuck 
FUN FACT: Allen F. Morgenstern coined the phrase “work smarter not harder” in the 1930s.
00:23:11 - Newsies, holding stuff, intangible assets, good will, and humanity00:28:04 - How things move and flow, emotional racketeering, girl scouts, and mayonnaise.00:31:04 - Andrew thinks Folgers bought Seattle’s Best, and Ben’s question about the zine00:34:41 - According to the accounting equation you can have positive equity or Kanye West00:39:02 - Twitter celebrity stories, the good part of social media, and prayers to the algorithm 00:42:25 - Taylor Swift tickets, owning the “mechanicals,” leverage, and Bob Dylan00:45:26 - Southwest Airlines, efficiency, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off - CME scene @39:2300:47:24 - The Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and timing the path of the movie00:50:14 - A judgement on Daffy Duck’s personality and back to “the Merc”00:53:26 - Pork-bellies, soy, Andrew’s new sticker idea, and Ferris Bueller’s wisdom
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off - Ferris’ Beatles monologue @05:2100:55:47 - Favorite -isms, Andrew’s communism example, and missing supplies00:59:51 - Large scale corruption, the trouble with consolidated dictatorships, and FIFA01:03:49 - Ben explains the game Papers, Please (created by Lucas Pope) to Andrew
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off - Ben Stein’s second scene  @10:4401:06:35 - Ben Stein’s (not Jimmy Kimmel’s) money and accrual basis accounting01:10:01 - Andrew has a message for the listeners, and remembering John Hughes movies01:12:49 - Prepare yourself for Ben’s dramatic reading, too much live, and the deadest pan
01:14:57 - Andrew’s suggestion, and Ben asks, “are video games recession-proof?”01:18:29 - Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon versus Jon Bauman, and closing the show
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To keep up with Andrew’s creative pursuits, check out his website!https://partlyrobot.com/
To buy all of the amazing goodies available at the Partly Robot Industries store, use one of these... https://partlyrobotindustries.bigcartel.com/
bit.ly/economyrobot 
 

Carl, the coordinator for the Games and Online Harassment Hotline and all-around good guy, joins Ben this week to discuss a word introduced in print by psychologist Edward Tichener in 1909!  They talk about their personal stories of processing their emotions, what harassment looks like in the digital age, toxic masculinity, the power video games, and what the hotline is doing to make the online landscape more hospitable for everyone.  They close out the show talking about what games Carl has been playing recently.
00:00:50 - Hotline Coordinator Carl (he/him/his) introduces himself and what he does00:02:40 - Feminist Frequency, shoutout to WGG and Jae, 2 men talking, and definitions00:04:45 - Nearly 3 centuries between sympathy and empathy, and Ben’s story about his father00:07:36 - Feelings, empathy can take work and imagination, and connecting with people00:10:19 - Carl’s story about his first experience, and the pros and cons of using labels 00:13:43 - Ben’s empathy, sympathy, and compassion Venn diagram00:16:00 - The internet has turned the bullying volume up to 15, and dispelling notions00:17:47 - Using games as an outlet for processing feelings, and Carl’s behavior in cars00:20:15 - “Game type” statistics, and dispelling false assumptions about online harassment00:23:36 - Continuous training for agents relating gaming news and impactful events00:26:17 - Understanding oppression dynamics, and accountability conversations in support00:28:31 - A tricky navigation, fostering a positive online community, and creating resources 00:31:14 - The targets of hate raids helped to create a resource for marginalized streamers 00:34:53 - Hate raid mitigation, Carl and Ben don’t Twitch, and supporting content creators00:37:54 - What Carl is playing these days…Apex Legends, Grounded, and Overwatch 200:40:30 - Gamers feeling entitled can lead to harassment of players and developers00:43:55 - Acknowledging the potential for empathy, and redefining gender norms00:46:10 - Feelings and expectations about making connections in the gaming industry00:48:00 - The future of gameshotline.org , donate, spread the word, and/or volunteer  
 
About the Games and Online Harassment Hotline (taken from their webpage):“The Games and Online Harassment Hotline is a free, text message-based, confidential emotional support hotline.  We created the Hotline specifically for the gaming community. Whether you’re a player, a developer, a streamer, a competitor — any part of this community —we’re here for you, whether that means offering emotional support or finding the referrals and resources that you need.”
Keep up to date with what’s going on at the Games and Online Harassment Hotline by visiting:https://gameshotline.org
PS  PLEASE… somebody play Grounded with Carl; you might just make a friend for life!