Episodes
Sunday May 29, 2022
Episode 48 - Comic
Sunday May 29, 2022
Sunday May 29, 2022
Aspiring actor (and top notch barista) Ryan joins Ben to talk about the word comic. Ben is going super-old school with his trivia and references, and Ryan tries to keep up. They discuss their favorite stand-up comedians, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ( mild spoilers 16:02 - 39:02 ), their favorite comic themed video games, and what comic book characters they would make a game about if they could.
00:00:45 - “Is it safe,” Ryan doesn’t like the word soccer, and the origin of the word comic00:03:27 - Norm Macdonald, “not a sponsor,” 180 people, and comedians in cars00:08:03 - Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Burr’s blood pressure, and does Ben sound like Ray Romano?00:10:08 - Ryan reveals what he enjoyed about hosting a comedy show00:16:02 - Ben’s favorite stand-up comedians starting with Jake Johannsen00:19:45 - Taylor Tomlinson’s comedy special focusing on her mental health00:21:39 - A spoiler-ish discussion about Doctor Strange 2, comics, and the MCU00:25:59 - Universe 199,999, the Illuminati sequence, and Ben’s plot hole questions 00:30:35 - Ben’s concerns about Brian Michael Bendis’ impact on the future of the MCU00:33:30 - Will the multiverse in the MCU result in more lazy script writing? 00:39:02 - A brief history of the Unknown Comic00:42:42 - Ryan still loves the Batman: Arkham and the Marvel Ultimate Alliance franchises00:46:23 - Accolade’s Comics on the C64 and Comix Zone on the Sega Genesis 00:49:15 - Sam & Max Hit the Road by Lucasarts and Cadillacs & Dinosaurs by Capcom00:51:00 - Ryan asks, “If you could make a video game from a comic, what would it be?”00:53:08 - Thoughts on the cel shading art style in video games.00:55:03 - Ben is playing NEO:TWEWY, Ryan’s Superman game story, and closing the show
Sunday May 22, 2022
Episode 47 - Resilience
Sunday May 22, 2022
Sunday May 22, 2022
It’s Mental Health Awareness Month and Rusty (perhaps the most positive person on planet Earth) joins Ben on the podcast to discuss a word that he feels is important to develop in life… resilience. Ben has conducted extensive research on the psychology of being resilient, the Google Ngram Viewer, and a mobile game designer who created an application to help her “slay her concussion.” Meanwhile, Rusty shares his secrets to a positive attitude and his enjoyment of the Horizon franchise.
00:00:54 - Why did Rusty pick the word resilience?00:03:40 - Be the captain of your own ship, maintain your morale, and try not to get distracted 00:07:03 - Ben tries to imagine “angry Rusty,” and then to explain Google’s Ngram viewer 00:10:15 - Increased usage of the word resilience, and back to a glossary of n-gram terms00:14:03 - Rusty responds to Ron Breazeale’s “11 skills/attitudes that can increase resilience" 00:22:34 - Video game characters finding their own resiliences, and Horizon’s Aloy 00:27:03 - Venting about the loss of a special character in Forbidden West00:29:01 - Guerrilla Games is likely a Twizzlers family 00:33:10 - The water levels in Horizon: Forbidden West 00:36:51 - The “stealth kelp” plot hole, and forcing the player to hide in the water00:39:02 - A bug is preventing Rusty from getting platinum, and blaming Aquaman 00:40:15 - Jane McGonigal’s books, games, and her story of resilience 00:43:10 - The game SuperBetter and how it can be used to improve resilience 00:46:45 - Ben’s “back in my day moment,” and a “shout out” for Ann00:48:03 - Rusty and Ben’s closing thoughts on resilience!
Sunday May 15, 2022
Episode 46 - Translation
Sunday May 15, 2022
Sunday May 15, 2022
Dr. Tahnee is back in studio to provide her expert opinions on the subject of translation! Ben may not be a “Spoony Bard” but all of his base do belong to them… as they discuss the intricacies of communicating source language content successfully in a target language. What does translation success mean or even look like? Listen in to their discussions and find out!
00:00:20 - This week Ben and Tahnee are talking about the word translation!00:01:00 - “The Alchemist” is better translated to English than in the original Portuguese? 00:04:10 - Tahnee’s thoughts on two books she read that were translated from Japanese 00:07:05 - Ben thinks “District B-13” and “Shaolin Soccer” didn’t need language translations00:09:10 - How do you translate facial expressions?00:12:50 - Interpreting gestures and body language 00:15:00 - Tahnee’s Pro Tip: DON’T DO THE OK SIGN IN BRAZIL!00:16:55 - Movie titles can be more descriptive in other languages00:20:15 - American movie titles in Portuguese, and Ben’s favorite, “Eleven Men and a Secret”00:22:50 - “Translator traitor,” “correct” translations, and ways to translate fiction00:26:20 - Songs in other languages, and Tahnee asks “Are translators artists?”00:30:25 - Food for though on “eating word” translations00:32:35 - Ben thinks about math when he hears the word translation?00:35:20 - Tahnee has questions about video game translations and localizations 00:37:40 - Ben’s opinion on if translators for games need to have video game experience00:43:10 - All about the Twilight Zone episode “To Server Man”00:46:30 - Spoiler alert… “IT’S A COOKBOOK!”00:51:25 - Tahnee shares her video game research with Ben00:54:01 - Censorship, profanity, a bit from Netflix’s “The Pentaverate,” and the “Spoony Bard”00:57:00 - Ben explains to Tahnee how video games teach you how to play01:00:15 - Tahnee’s thoughts on the importance of translating documents01:05:10 - Game translation errors, and Tahnee’s expert assessment on “what went wrong”01:12:00 - The story or the “I AM ERROR” meme from “The Legend of Zelda 2” 01:14:40 - Mango gets vocal to end the show
Sunday May 08, 2022
Episode 45 - Questions from my Aunt (Language and Translation)
Sunday May 08, 2022
Sunday May 08, 2022
This week Dr. Tahnee is back to discuss the word translation, but first we call up Aunt Norah! She has 3 questions that are perfect for our guest’s chosen profession / field of expertise. Discussion topics include: gender pronouns, learning languages, discriminatory tendencies in AI, and linguist centric humor
00:00:22 - Many hellos to / from Norah, and Ben’s “hot take” on media reviewers today00:02:07 - How are gender non-specific concepts being handled in gendered languages?00:07:23 - What happens in the brain when a child learns 2 languages simultaneously?00:09:15 - When does it become more difficult to learn new languages?00:11:39 - Ben has no book bag, Norah isn’t feeling well … both in German! 00:13:25 - When translating a book, who is best suited to “accurately” translate it?00:16:15 - Global awareness, translations, time, and changing customs00:19:23 - The word translation, and the different meanings in different cultures00:22:26 - The work of linguists: haves, has, peruse, Peru, and Peru00:24:43 - A discussion about how translation will work in the metaverse00:26:57 - The open AI artist DALL-E 2 is currently showing racial and gender biased output00:32:37 - The Twitter bot Tay and how she became EVIL!00:38:14 - Thinking about computational linguistics, artificial intelligence, and morphology00:43:21 - Norah tell a linguist joke, and we say goodbye
Sunday May 01, 2022
Episode 44 - Metaverse
Sunday May 01, 2022
Sunday May 01, 2022
The one and only Aunt Norah is in town this week to see her favorite (?) nephew Ben, or perhaps it’s just to record a show about the word metaverse? Who’s to say? They do have differing views on what it is and what it could be; however, it’s a very interesting discussion from a generation X-er and a Baby Boomer just trying to make sense of it all.
00:00:21 - It’s a dry heat, and starting off the show with TWO questions from my Aunt!00:01:30 - “What makes NFTs bad for the environment?”00:04:05 - “What is augmented reality, and how is different from virtual reality?”00:06:30 - Norah starts the metaverse conversation00:08:30 - What does a successful metaverse look like?00:11:15 - Origin of the Snow Crash book title 00:13:35 - Was Norah listening? You decide!00:15:25 - E-Bay experiences, Beanie Babies, and Norah says, “on point!”00:19:00 - Auction houses for real art in the metaverse00:21:05 - Embedding chips in humans, DNA, and disengaging from VR00:27:00 - “Kids, don’t bring your guns to amusement parks,” the word meta, and Don Quixote 00:31:00 - In Hebrew meta means dead, and Ben says “the dog’s bollocks”00:33:30 - Second Life, and facial expressions, emotes, and “don’t F with me…”00:37:35 - Leveraging data mining in the metaverse, and Ben definitely wants those cat ears00:40:05 - Unwieldy hardware, and is a conflict-free metaverse possible?00:43:00 - Concerns about the development of the metaverse, and the evolution of bullying00:47:55 - Will the development of the metaverse make humanity exponentially worse?00:50:40 - Will the metaverse ever become the “real” world?00:53:20 - The “Benaverse,” game evolution, and will Norah try VR?00:57:10 - Ben’s concerns about crime, and Norah thinks the metaverse will alway be pretend01:00:00 - “AI means artificial intelligence,” be careful, and favorite nephew… question mark?
Saturday Apr 23, 2022
Episode 43 - Virtual
Saturday Apr 23, 2022
Saturday Apr 23, 2022
This week Paul joins Ben to discuss the word virtual. Topics covered include: virtual experiences present and future, programming languages, virtual software environments, pioneers of the home computing industry, pondering the uses of virtual reality in the future, and envisioning improvements to VR hardware.
00:00:30 - “Jinx, you owe me a coke”00:03:01 - “Does technology make us more or less virtuous?”00:05:55 - The game Ben can’t remember is Kung Fu Rider 00:07:50 - Paul describes some programming languages and concepts for Ben 00:12:40 - Ben has questions about object oriented programming for Paul00:16:01 - Representing everyday objects as code, databases, and going wireless00:19:01 - The effects of VR on the body and brain00:24:05 - Ben’s experience with Mass VR in Chicago00:29:03 - Semantics of live simulations and virtual ones00:32:35 - What can virtual reality contribute to experiences other than games 00:37:03 - Experiencing television programs and movies in virtual reality… present and future00:41:23 - Thinking about non-entertainment uses for VR00:43:07 - Bill Gates’ and Steve Jobs’ visions of the future of computers00:46:18 - Watch the “Fantastic Voyage” trailer, and what experiences do consumers want00:48:28 - Envisioning educational uses for virtual reality00:53:01 - Adding other senses to virtual reality, and Ben talks about the movie Brainstorm 00:56:46 - Stinky Weasel 2812 and Butt Tickler 8700:57:31 - Paul and Ben’s thoughts on what the future holds for virtual experiences01:01:25 - “An amplified version of the things that are wrong with us”
Saturday Apr 16, 2022
Episode 42 - Time
Saturday Apr 16, 2022
Saturday Apr 16, 2022
Andrew is back in Tucson with Ben this week, and it’s about time… figuratively AND literally! Andrew shares stories about teaching, inspirations for his novel, his favorite authors, riding the light rail in Portland, and dreaming about acronyms. Ben talks about Choose Your Own Adventure books, a mildly disappointing reality show, a favorite time loop movie filmed near his home town, and the arcade game “Time Killers.”
00:00:21 - Ben and Andrew (and maybe Bash and Mango) are this week’s hosts.00:03:00 - Time gets funny for Andrew, the perception of time, and Andrew’s new novel 00:06:40 - What inspired Andrew to write about the horrible time travelers 00:13:50 - “The Beast Beyond Time,” and writing around the pandemic00:15:45 - The second coming of Frank Zappa, and public stock manipulation00:20:00 - Not familiar with the band, another recess story, and more perception00:23:46 - The origin of “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, remembering InfoCom games00:27:40 - Don’t say “fanny pack” in AU, Andrew’s light rail story, and Prius stigma 00:34:20 - Andrew’s spacetime explanation, and not enough hallucinogens00:37:20 - A teachable moment for Norah, acronyms, and “Kiss of Death” 00:40:37 - Lego Masters and… Domino Masters?00:43:07 - Ben’s reality show idea, and a cool short story Andrew read00:46:50 - Many spider mans, the Marvel Multiverse, and other time travel movies 00:50:04 - Andrew has issues with Christopher Nolan 00:54:01 - Groundhog Day movie trivia00:58:10 - One time travel themed fighting arcade game history segment01:00:47 - TV series Russian Doll, and a discussion on “straight to streaming” projects01:04:30 - Time travel in Star Trek, and Andrew’s favorite time travel movie01:07:52 - Shut… it… down… and goodbye.
Saturday Apr 09, 2022
Episode 41 - Morality
Saturday Apr 09, 2022
Saturday Apr 09, 2022
Philosophy student Jenna and Generation X-er Ben are talking about the word morality this week, but before they get started on this thought provoking topic… they have a “warmup chat” with Norah. After the official show introduction Ben and Jenna dive in to the discussion… and it goes to some unexpected places. Video games mentioned include the GTA franchise, Call of Duty, Dante’s Inferno, the Mass Effect franchise, Fallout 3, and Detroit: Become Human.
00:00:21 - The Ben, Jenna, and Norah with the (depressing?) morality warmup00:01:40 - Alan Turing, Oscar Wilde, ferries, and Staten Island 00:06:00 - Morality threshold, scorecards, a literal “Hail Mary”, and moral friction00:09:23 - Morels, the Dead Milkmen, and Jenna is bringing the theory 00:12:03 - The official start of the show, “only hot girls get IBS,” and Jenna’s college courses 00:16:10 - The other side of coin, and looking at things from the marginalized viewpoint 00:19:05 - People’s ignorance about feminism, and the shared human experience00:22:23 - Truth, emotions, and being open to different perspectives00:24:45 - Religion’s impact on morality, “grey areas,” and s’mores 00:28:35 - A disagreement about chocolate, marshmallows, and crispy rice treats00:31:00 - Jenna does not like Abraham Lincoln in copper form, and Ben’s strip club story00:34:20 - The “nudie bucket,” and the morality of the sex / service industry 00:37:01 - The difference between ethics and morals, and further discussion about sex work00:42:00 - Nel Noddings and the ethics of care, unconscious bias, and the Bechdel test00:48:15 - Ben’s oil scenario, and the “fluidity” of people’s morals 00:51:36 - Jenna wants to play Dungeons and Dragons, and Ben explains some D&D nuances 00:55:02 - Alignment and the “black and white” nature of morality mechanics in games01:02:29 - Jenna reflects on law, chaos, and being a member of the LBGTQ+ community 01:05:00 - Ben’s Fallout 3 scenario, game narrative, choice, and Detroit: Become Human01:12:11 - Jenna is a s’mores advocate and has hope for the future01:13:42 - Ben closes the show with a Blue Thunder quote
Friday Apr 01, 2022
Episode 40 - Second Soliloquy
Friday Apr 01, 2022
Friday Apr 01, 2022
Ben is excited to tell you about Two Vague’s work on their “Only Fans” page! Additional topics include a brief summary of the OnlyFans platform, some interesting facts about fans, (maybe fictional) details about 2VPs “Only Fans” page, one of Ben’s favorite commercials, his time with a sequel in the Horizon franchise, and some trivia about… “April Fools Day!”
00:00:40 - Some information about OnlyFans, and our announcement00:02:00 - A brief history of fans, our new fan-centric content, and protect your oscillating fan00:04:10 - Ben talks about his experience with Horizon: Forbidden West00:06:45 - New mission types in Forbidden West00:08:46 - Aloy’s story arc, and an impactful death on the horizon (pun intended)00:10:39 - Morality, time, and metaverse are upcoming words00:11:25 - April Fools’ Day history, and derrière based humor 00:13:15 - Media based pranks, and the moon is made of cheese00:15:20 - Thank you for your support!
Sunday Mar 27, 2022
Episode 39 - Fungible
Sunday Mar 27, 2022
Sunday Mar 27, 2022
For this week’s discussion, Ben (and an incredibly vocal Mango who presumably was confused with Ben appearing like he was talking to himself for an hour and a half) is joined by Aunt Norah for a somewhat unfamiliar word to both of them, but it’s nothing that can’t be cured by some research and questioning of Chicago restaurant waitstaff. Topics of discussion include Lunchables, Economics, “The Problem with Jon Stewart”, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, a Michael Jordan story, and in-game collections.
00:01:05 - “When was the first time you heard the word fungible?”00:04:10 - A brief history of Lunchables, and Norah’s advertising experience 00:08:50 - Charcuter-Easy … (soon to be trademarked?) 00:11:10 - The lunchmeat exchange rate, cryptocurrency, fiat money, and Norah is not new00:14:50 - Grandpa preferred paying with a physical thing00:18:05 - Ben thinks Jon Stewart needs to invest in a comma 00:22:35 - Is a stock market a mechanism for gambling?00:28:45 - The 2 items in Norah’s top 3 things she learned in economics class00:30:45 - Ben’s cryptocurrency research and glossary of terms 00:36:50 - Ben’s NFT research and glossary of terms00:42:15 - OpenSea is the largest NFT marketplace, pizza, and pizza NFTs00:45:45 - Norah asks, “Is this a new form or art?”00:49:00 - Ben’s Non-Fungible Tolkien creation example, and Norah gets the reference 00:52:50 - The inter-Met(-ropolitan Museum of Art), and the high-class version of the pet rock00:57:20 - Ben’s Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan slam dunk story00:59:20 - LimeWire... is it music, malware, or hardcore porn? 01:01:15 - Taxes, NFTs, and the first time Ben has uttered a particular sentence01:06:05 - Thoughts on digital collections in games, loot crates, and the value of cosmetics01:08:30 - Again with the GameStop desperation tactics, and the Warframe in-game economy01:12:12 - Norah’s cat suit, and the evils of micro-transactions01:13:30 - Closing the show with Norah’s unintentional AOL style goodbye.
Sunday Mar 20, 2022
Episode 38 - Drive
Sunday Mar 20, 2022
Sunday Mar 20, 2022
Paul joins Ben this week to discuss the word drive. The conversation focuses mostly on professional racing due to Paul’s enthusiasm about the topic, but Ben has a few trick questions, some trivia, and maybe a golf club up his sleeve. Paul shares his knowledge of Formula 1 and NASCAR racing with Ben, and they both reflect upon their favorite console driving games.
00:00:35 - Paul gets right to the point… “speed run” and F100:05:27 - Ben talks about the BMW commercial series “The Hire”00:07:45 - Vehicle movies: Fast and the Furious, Drive, and “Die Hard on a Bus” a.k.a. Speed00:11:00 - Ben’s rankings website idea, and he explains the original Speed Racer cartoon00:15:38 - The extent of Ben’s knowledge on golf, and Paul talks about playing it in VR00:18:34 - About Apple Arcade, “Platinum Games,” and then Ben has a minor senior moment00:23:30 - Road trips, piloting, and Paul talks about his love of F1 racing 00:29:17 - The Halo system and safety standards in Formula 1 racing00:33:34 - How frequent are fatal accidents in F1 and NASCAR?00:38:45 - Car designs, challenging technical innovations, and is Lewis Hamilton retiring soon?00:42:25 - When Paul realized professional driving was a sport00:45:46 - Paul’s PC racing rig and experiences with iRacing00:50:07 - Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen participates in iRacing events?!00:54:24 - Overcoming hardware failures in F1 races, and the shortcomings of race simulations 01:00:48 - Racing games: Gran Turismo, Need for Speed, Midnight Club, and Burnout 01:04:20 - “Getting mad that Taco Bell isn’t like Mexican food”01:06:03 - Playing arcade racing games on the Sega Dreamcast01:08:45 - Kart racing in Tokyo, Japan… and in Arizona 01:13:35 - Paul shoots down Ben’s AR karting hybrid idea, and their closing thoughts.
Sunday Mar 13, 2022
Episode 37 - Travel
Sunday Mar 13, 2022
Sunday Mar 13, 2022
This week Emelie joins Ben to discuss the word travel. First they talk about the interesting places they have each been for work and pleasure. Driving, flying and riding the train are just a few of the modes of transportation discussed before Ben talks about two ridiculous travel themed “games.” To close out the show Emelie and Ben share their international and domestic dream vacations: Tokyo, Stockholm, the Grand Tetons, and a specific Disney destination.
00:00:56 - “Ask Cheyenne about her unicycle experience”00:02:43 - Emelie’s one free day in Kauai, and Ben’s childhood fascination with surfing 00:05:42 - Emelie has been playing lots of Beat Saber on the Oculus Quest 00:08:40 - Remembering our favorite rhythm games… DDR, Beatmania, and Rock Band 00:13:20 - The first rhythm game, and Ben has a question for Emelie about VR for travel00:18:00 - Back to Emelie in Hawaii and future vacation plans there00:21:30 - Ben talks about skiing, Emelie asks if “pizza” works, and the “Canada pants”00:27:40 - Emelie’s trips to Mille Lacs Lake, Rocky Point, Pagosa Springs, and So Cal00:32:00 - As a child, Ben was afraid of getting stuck in Canada at Niagara Falls 00:34:25 - AMC’s “Airplane Mode” and “Penn & Teller’s Smoke and Mirrors” 00:40:15 - Trips on trains 00:45:07 - Emelie wants to visit Stockholm, and Ben mentions “Welcome to Sweden”00:51:20 - Travel preferences… solo vs. family, and Australia 00:55:51 - Ben wants to sleep at a capsule hotel in Tokyo 00:59:20 - "First Cabin" themed hotel, staying at a ryokan, bath houses, and hot springs 01:02:28 - Getting a driving permit for a Go-Kart tour, and visiting Super Potato01:06:21 - Themed cafes, vending machines, Gashapon, and fishing for you supper01:09:50 - Maid and butler cafes, and a prison hospital themed bar. 01:11:40 - Grand Tetons for Emelie, and Galactic Starcruiser for Ben 01:15:20 - Saying, not singing “Just the Two of Us,” and vacation advice to close the show.
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
Episode 36 - Norah’s Question - Is the Universe Infinite?
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
Spring Break season is upon us, and you know what that means… it’s time for a philosophical debate? Sure, let’s go with that. Norah had a question about “Episode 34 - Space” for my guest Paul, so we called her up and recorded her for the program. We ended up talking about the vastness of space, Ben’s lack of knowledge when it comes to automobiles, and the “Metaverse”.
00:00:52 - “It’s an uncle-free zone here at the Two Vague Podcast.”00:02:24 - Norah’s 3 hour waitress job and remembering Aunt Pat00:04:15 - Ben knows nothing about automobile manufacturers 00:06:04 - Norah’s question about the universe, and Ben needs mushrooms00:08:55 - Ben’s power move suggestion... Marcus 00:11:10 - Norah’s universe in a shoebox, and Ben asks Paul for “space evidence”00:14:50 - The most mass in a galaxy, and Dads00:16:18 - Norah has been contemplating the “Metaverse” 00:19:18 - Paul talks about the book Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson00:21:00 - Ben and Paul try to explain “Second Life” by Linden Lab to Norah 00:23:50 - “Smells of the Metaverse,” and closing the call
Sunday Feb 27, 2022
Episode 35 - Character
Sunday Feb 27, 2022
Sunday Feb 27, 2022
For this week’s episode (nearly lost to the evils of SD card data corruption), Cheyenne is running the show! Cheyenne and Ben talk about Fight Club, their favorite John Hughes films, their favorite characters from pop culture (too numerous to mention individually), and their favorite video games for character customizations.
00:00:30 - Role reversal, consolation prizes, and character00:03:30 - Meatloaf dead on a table and a Fight Club discussion 00:08:20 - Ben and Cheyenne are both characters 00:14:00 - Ben thinks you should watch the movie Weird Science00:16:20 - Music vs. Dad humor 00:18:00 - Ben’s answers for Cheyenne’s character “speed round” 00:22:15 - Favorite movie characters: Jurassic Park, Alien, Leon, and Grosse Pointe Blank00:34:26 - Favorite TV characters: New Girl, The Tick and Breaking Bad 00:45:50 - Favorite book characters: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Fight Club 00:50:30 - Favorite video game characters: “Horizon: Zero Dawn” and the Mass Effect trilogy00:56:49 - Favorite villains: True Romance, Die Hard and Breaking Bad01:03:22 - How actors play villains and Method acting01:06:56 - Cheyenne is impressed with character creation in Dragon’s Dogma 01:08:55 - Genitalia options in Cyberpunk 2077… what’s the point?01:10:58 - Cheyenne was disappointed with character creation in Skyrim, KoTOR and Fallout01:13:17 - Ben’s character creation preferences and how it relates to the story in the game01:15:26 - Ben describes the character customizations in City of Heroes and City of Villains 01:20:30 - Ben plays the role of a little girl to close the show
Saturday Feb 19, 2022
Episode 34 - Space
Saturday Feb 19, 2022
Saturday Feb 19, 2022
Paul joins Ben this week to talk about a very expansive word… assorted nerd-geekery ensues on the subjects of telescopes, aliens, Star Wars, Dune, and other memorable science fiction media. They only scratch the surface of science fiction space games, but their favorites include a list of recognizable properties (to non-Norah’s) and one forthcoming new Bethesda project that Paul hasn’t heard of.
00:01:55 - Ben and Paul talk about painting… “does anybody know the difference?”00:05:27 - What fascinates Paul about space?00:08:37 - “Do you believe in aliens?”00:11:13 - James E. Webb vs Edwin Hubble, and too many Hubbles00:15:32 - Telescopes on the horizon, and planetariums 00:19:37 - Paul and Ben’s thoughts on Astrology, “The Onion,” pizza, and Pluto00:26:03 - Back to aliens, “storming” Area 51, and fueling creativity 00:29:00 - Paul punts E.T., thoughts on science fiction, and “Only a Sith deals in absolutes”00:33:10 - Ben has questions for Paul about the Dune universe00:38:16 - Ben talks about the movie Outland, and Paul talks about “2001: a Space Odyssey”00:42:30 - Ben’s Ridley Scott trivia, STNG, “The Expanse,” and science fiction books00:45:55 - Paul talks about “The Three-Body Problem” by Liu Cixin00:47:50 - “The Legacy of Heorot” by Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven, and Steven Barnes 00:49:47 - Ben recommends “Jodorowsky's Dune” and “The Orville”00:54:22 - “Star Wars: Squadrons,” “No Man’s Sky,” “Destiny,” and “Anthem”00:58:48 - Thoughts on development hype, game development today, and “Cyberpunk 2077”01:04:37 - Ship combat vs exploration games, and Elite Dangerous01:07:08 - The “Skyrim” in space game Paul hasn’t heard about01:09:30 - How console exclusives impact players and advancements in cross-play 01:12:21 - Reminiscing about video games, NASA tragedies, and landing the Space Shuttle 01:17:15 - Ben’s Ferris Bueller's Day Off / Space Shuttle fun fact and “torso pants”
The 2VP Origin Story:
Two Vague originated from an idea I had for my eventual memoir. Games have been such a big part of my life that in theory, I could document most of my personal history using them as points on my timeline. The original concept was to begin with an arcade or video game, provide some background and facts about it, and then combine that with anecdotes / memories / life experiences. I could never quite justify committing it to the written word (not yet anyway), but that was the starting point.
As time went on, I began thinking about it with greater frequency, typically after watching, reading, or listening to video game related content. I wasn’t really interested in putting together game news program or a solo monologue type of show. Two people having an interesting, unique exchange of ideas was the premise I wanted to explore and develop. I thought it was important for me to come up with a name and logo to use as a conceptual anchor. I vaguely knew what I wanted, so decided the name would be “Too Vague”. My brother suggested that I use the number 2 instead and from that suggestion I quickly drew up a logo.
Shortly thereafter, my brother and I talked at length about the podcasts we enjoyed and why. Soon we moved on to discussing what “shape” my show would eventually take.
B: “It will be me and someone else… only 2 people.”
A: “Would it be an interview show?”
B: “Not exactly…”
A: “What is the show going to be about?”
B: “Video games… and something else.”
A: “How?”
B: “I guess I could describe it as an in-depth conversation"
… and that is where our podcast journey began in 2021!