Tag: Culture

DNA Podcast 139 – Half-Hour Toy Commercials of the 80s

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 139 - Half-Hour Toy Commercials of the 80s
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In this episode, Rob and Don revisit their childhoods as they talk about the time when capitalism and animation joined together to create one of the greatest marketing forces known to mankind – the half-hour animated toy commercials of the 1980s! Strawberry Shortcake! HE-MAN and the Masters of the Universe! GI JOE! The Transformers! JEM! It was a brief and truly outrageous time in North American animation history. But what forces led to this rise of these marketing behemoths? And, why did they die out almost as quickly as they appeared? Find out this, and what shows had the best theme songs, in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs!

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

GoBots
Gobots: Challenge of the Rock Lords
Popeye
Action for Children’s Television
Romper Room
Mister Rogers
Polka Dot Door
Hot Wheels Cartoon
Planet of the Apes Cartoon
Miss Twitch
Bunnicula
ABC Weekend Special (Anthology)
The Micronauts
Micronauts Marvel Comic
Strawberry Shortcake
Those Characters From Cleveland
ROM Space Knight Comic
The REAL Ghostbusters
SUNBOW Entertainment
Secret Galaxy YouTube Chanel
Todd (McFarlane) Toys
Daigata Defenders
Egg-Fu (character)
Microman Toys
Gaiking
Combatter V
Blackstar
The Bionic Six
The Inhumanoids
Jace and the Wheeled Warriors
The Galaxy Rangers
C.O.P.S.

DNA Podcast 138 – Family in Popular Culture

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 138 - Family in Popular Culture
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Aka “Al” and “Peggy” Bundy

In this episode, Don and Rob do their best Vin Diesel impressions and spend the whole episode talking about family. They talk about what family really is, its place in society over time, and most importantly, its place in drama up until today. All this, and why “Punch and Judy” was the original socially destabilizing family comedy, is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Dan Carlin: Suffer the Children
Aristotle’s “Poetics”
Punch and Judy
Bringing Up Father
The Gumps
Lil Abner
Blondie
I Love Lucy
Leave it to Beaver
Bewitched
I Dream of Jeannie
One Day at a Time
The Brady Bunch
Family Ties
The Cosby Show
Cousin Oliver
Married with Children
Roseanne or maybe….
Friends
Big Bang Theory

DNA Podcast 137 – AI in Popular Culture

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 137 - AI in Popular Culture
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In this episode, Rob and Don look back at the past of humanity’s relationship with Artificial Intelligence and ponder where it will be going in the future. The duo discuss recent innovations in AI, how people’s concept of what AI is has changed over the years, and why AI might not want to wipe us out after all. All this, and why sexbots may herald humanity’s doom, is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Artificial Intelligence
Google Engineer Claims Google AI is Sentient
BF Skinner
ChatbotGPT
Dr. Susan Calvin (Robopsychologist from Issas Asimov stories)
Queensryche- The Warning (Album)
GREY (manga)
The Turing Test
Understanding Comics
Cognitive Dissonance
The Singularity
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Is the Internet Conscious? If It Were, How Would We Know?
Colossus: The Forbin Project
Electric Dreams (movie)
Lawnmower Man (movie)
Cyberpunk
Max Headroom
Gamma World
Tay Microsoft Chatbot
Korean Mukbang Videos

DNA Podcast 135 – Breaking Up With Fandom Is Hard To Do

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 135 - Breaking Up With Fandom Is Hard To Do
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In this episode, Don and Rob discuss the thorny issue of why people break up with their media darlings. The two delve into the reasons why people and the properties they love might go their separate ways, and explore whether that’s a good or bad thing. Along the way, the duo discuss heavy metal, isekai, and manga, but everything they talk about can be applied to anything that brings joy to peoples’ hearts. All this, and a healthy dose of nerd rage, is coming to you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Marie Kondo
The Phantom
Ghostbusters- Afterlife
A Headbanger’s Journey
The KISS Army
Venom (Band)
Kylie Jenner Diet Pepsi Commercial
Isekai
Truck-kun
Hikkomori
Being an Influencer is Soul Crushing
Sentai
Samurai TV DNA Episode
SLAM DUNK!
MASHLE
SPRIGGAN
MAZINGER
DEVILMAN
All-Star Squadron
The Desert Peach
The Streisand Effect

Don’s Four Ways Fans Break up with a Property
-(fans) Age Out
-(fans) Reach Saturation (with a property)
-Style Drift (of the media property)
-Hardcore Nerd Rage (because fans don’t get what they want from it anymore)

Rob’s Fifth:
-Fans are driven away by toxic fandom even though they still like the property.

DNA Podcast 133 – Malls in Popular Culture

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 133 - Malls in Popular Culture
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In this episode, Don and Rob head to the mall to discuss capitalism and the place of malls in popular culture for the past hundred years. Along the way, the duo discuss the history of shopping, the origins of malls, and how malls reshaped capitalism. All this, and why the 80s were the peak of mall culture, is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Jesus and the Moneylenders
Shopping Centers Wikipedia
A History of Malls
The Medicis
Yoshiwara [“Prostitute Island”]
Shopping District
Sears
80s Mall TV Commercials
Arcology
Post WWII American Prosperity
The Golden Mile
White Flight
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Tiffany (singer)
7 Totally Radical 1980s Mall Events
Fast Times in Ridgemont High
Masonville Mall, London ON
Chopping Mall movie
American FLAGG

DNA Podcast 131 – Samurai TV

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 131 - Samurai TV
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In this episode, Rob and Don walk the path of meifumado and explore the golden age of Samurai television on Japanese TV during the 70s and 80s. Along this path to hell, Rob discusses what he learned after watching way too many Japanese jidaigeki period TV shows, why he loves them so much, the different types of samurai TV series, and why Sonny Chiba is the Japanese William Shatner. All this, and how Australia lost it’s mind for a Samurai TV series in the 60s, is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

James Bond Manga
Golgo 13
Kazuo Koike
Hirata Hiroshi
Desilu Productions
Keiretsu
Police Procedurals
Jitte
Zenigata Heiji
The Falcons of Edo TV series
Toshiro Mifune
Red Sun movie
Kirisute Gomen TV series (License to Kill)
Abarenbo Shogun TV series
Matsudaira Ken
Kiku TV
Toyama no Kinsan (Magistrate Toyama) TV series
Kage no Gundan (Shadow Warriors)
Sonny Chiba
Japan Action Club (JAC)
Tokugawa Buraicho TV series
Onimitsu Kenshin (Shintaro the Samurai) TV series
Nemuri Kyoshiro
The Yagyu Conspiracy TV series
Lone Wolf and Cub TV series
Zatoichi TV Series
Usagi Yojimbo
Taiga Drama
jp-film.com
Message from Space film (Japanese Star Wars knockoff)
Mirai Ninja (aka Cyber Ninja, which I mistakenly called Robo Ninja in the show) film

DNA Podcast 130 – The Mandela Effect

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 130 - The Mandela Effect
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In this episode, Don and Rob explore the intersection of reality and human perception and how these two things often fail to match up. Along the way they discuss Don’s four ways reality and humanity tend to disagree, how the internet has been both a help and destructive force in determining reality, and more high weirdness than you can shake a Sasquatch at! All this, and how rye bread may have caused the Salem Witch Trials, is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

The Matrix
The Weekly World News
The Slenderman
Slenderman Murders
Richard Gere Gerbiling
The Jersey Devil
The Satanic Panic
The Salem Witch Trials
Did Climate Change Cause the Salem Witch Trials?
How Rye Bread May Have Caused the Salem Witch Trials
Cognitive Dissonance
Paul is Dead
Zines
CKLW The Big 8
King Diamond
Officially Pronounced Dead Patch
The Thunderbird Picture
The Berenstain Bears
The Mandela Effect
Penn Jillette
Roy the Game from Rick and Morty
STTNG The Inner Light
Ape Canyon Bigfoot Tale
The Legend of Boggy Creek
The Paterson-Gimli Film
Mysterious Monsters 1975 Movie
The Loch Ness Monster
In Search Of TV Series
Amityville Horror
In Search of The Amityville Horror
The Silly Season
Reddit Bazaar of the Bizarre group
Merman Seen off the Coast of Brest (1725)
The Necronomicron
SCP Foundation
SCP Abridged
Creepypasta

DNA Podcast 129 – Anime Tabletop Roleplaying

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 129 - Anime Tabletop Roleplaying
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The Coolest Anime RPG Cover of all time! Courtesy of comics artist Ben Dunn.

In this episode, Don and Rob sit down to talk about tabletop roleplaying’s relationship with anime and manga, and the many successful and failed attempts to simulate anime style adventures through RPGs. Along the way, the duo discuss Rob’s four types of anime RPGs, how anime and RPGs have both evolved over time, and the enduring question of whether BattleTech is actually an anime-style game. All this, and more references to Mayfair’s DC Heroes RPG than you can shake a 5 AP stick at, is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Bubblegum Crisis RPG
Weird War Comics
Dragonball Z
Prefectural Earth Defense Force
Ashita no Joe (Tomorrow’s Joe)
Mekton RPG
Cyberpunk RPG
Teenagers from Outer Space
Urusei Yatsura
DC Heroes RPG (Mayfair)
Tenra Bansho Zero
Galaxy High Cartoon
TOON RPG
Robotech RPG
BattleTech Wargame
Armored Trooper Votoms: The Role-Playing Game
Cartoon Action Hour Season 2
Big Eyes Small Mouth (BESM) RPG
Sailor Moon RPG
Champions RPG
Vampire: The Masqurade
Ninja Crusade RPG
Blue Rose RPG
Magical Girl Meg-Chan
Tunnels and Trolls
Quick-Ass Gaming System

DNA Podcast 126 – Injuries in Popular Culture

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 126 - Injuries in Popular Culture
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In this episode, Don and Rob explore how the way that injuries are portrayed in a story has a bit effect on how the audience perceives both stories and reality. Along the way, the two discuss how movies, role playing games, and comics have shown injuries, and what it says about their presentations of reality. All this, and 16 Lies Movies have Told You About Violence, is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy Cartoon Ethnic Cast
The Last Action Hero
The Hays Code (aka The Motion Picture Production Code)
New Hollywood
Pam Grier
CHAMPIONS: The Superhero RPG
DC HEROES (Mayfair RPG)
16 Lies About Violence that Movies have Told You (from CRACKED.com)
Fight! Dragon TV series
The Dragon Man Skull

DNA Podcast 112 – Science in Popular Culture

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 112 - Science in Popular Culture
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In this episode, Rob and Don explore the ways that science is presented in popular culture, for better and worse. Along the way they discuss what science is, how our views of it have shaped society (and how our society has shaped science), and the shifting view of science in the United States. All this, and statistics on who is more scientifically literate republicans or democrats (the answer may surprise you), is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Edward Bernays (or this link.)
Terrorists Take Action Figure Hostage
The Movie Titanic Changed the Constellations
Startalk Podcast
Dr. Stone
Shonen JUMP
MacGyver
The Deadly London Fog
PEW Research Poll on the Public and Science
Granny Weatherwax