Shows
Topic Lords302. Frog Fractions 2 OST 2: Still Croakin'Lords:
Kory
Ryan
Topics:
Incorrect stuff they teach you in school (blood, bats, soda cans, etc)
Oops I’ve started over remaking my game again, ECS edition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8OkkHSQjWg
https://bevy.org/
Accidentally finding a cat on vacation
Being Boring, by Wendy Cope
https://www.reddit.com/r/Poetry/comments/18ihpmd/poem_being_boring_by_wendy_cope/
Microtopics:
Watching an epicurean professional licking the Switch and Switch 2 cartridges back to back.
Switch 2 cartridges that don't contain a game but still taste disgusting.
A digital key that tastes awful.
1 in...
2025-08-041h 22Topic Lords299. Skin Fortress With Armed IdiotLords:
Jenni
Robb
Topics:
The phenomenon where multiple people respond with the same mystifying emoji
Skin Fort dream and image both provided by WiL: https://stale-meme.itch.io/
Lately I've engaged in pretend play with my 4 year old nephew by pretending we stole a crate of "Toxic Waste" candy and lying to the cops about it. As actual parents, is this healthy for the child?
It turns out you don't want to rent a Playstation
Hints
https://x.com/jensbest/status/413105300535668736
I would be happy to talk about what having an operation to get an Osia 2...
2025-07-141h 03Topic Lords292. A Dewey Decimal System, But For LibrariesLords:
Alexander
https://youtube.com/@L4MPLIGHT
Chall
Topics:
Having an address after not having an address
Slopsquatting
Book curses
This boke ys myne, Eleanor Worcester
https://15thcfeminist.substack.com/p/the-preservation-of-womens-words
The David Lynch random number generator
Esper says: My personal favorite use of numbers stations is the brief “station ID” type messages on Secret Agent Radio, a radio station that plays funky groovy Bond soundtrack-type music. Every now and then between songs, you’ll get a brief clip of creepy French-accented actual number station recordings, which really sells the vibe: https://somafm.com/player24/statio...
2025-05-261h 04Topic Lords286. A Kangaroo The Size Of Two KangaroosLords:
John
Tyriq
https://oddobject.zone/
Topics:
"Is it harder with twins than with one?" "I wouldn't know."
Would it be neat or terrible to live on a supercontinent
That X-Files episode when Scully scanned an alien artifact in a grocery store's bar code reader
When I Am Among The Trees by Mary Oliver
https://cih.ucsd.edu/sites/cih.ucsd.edu/files/cfm/When%20I%20am%20among%20the%20Trees%20by%20Mary%20Oliver.pdf
Dippin' Dots except each dot is a tiny burger
Microtopics:
Pouring a glass of water and leaving it for your...
2025-04-141h 02Topic Lords285. Poop Songs For RoyLords:
Erica
Jenni
Topics:
The chaos you missed
Having a baby is like being assigned a set of hobbies you don't necessarily care about but are expected to engage in full-time
Do people actually live longer in Greece and Japan or do they just have more pension fraud?
Too Many Women Become Desperate, by Infinite Sexy Marriage
https://bsky.app/profile/infinitesexy.bsky.social/post/3lcxskqdmoc26
Is it possible to never show your kid Cocomelon and they never demand to be shown Cocomelon or are they gonna find out about it through osmosis
Microtopics:
...
2025-04-071h 07Topic Lords283. Dracula's Big Happy PolyculeLords:
Dan
https://orionblasters.com/
https://mollyjames.bandcamp.com/album/loved-by-life
Daniel
Topics:
Could Dracula escape Groundhog Day?
How to know you’re in a golden era
Indiana Jones is supposed to look good??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1019&v=f1fWB5HP7s8
Where the Heart Is by F.S. Yousaf
https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads-2024/images/3/3597ddeb-e52e-4cda-a59c-c64600489fea/pMNUZSdU.jpg
Microtopics:
Deciding to get a teleprompter on episode 283.
The Molly James Band.
Mid-century lounge music.
Describing yourself as a cross between Pink Floyd and Doja Cat.
Shooting a...
2025-03-241h 04Topic Lords276. The Yukon Territories Foodie SceneLords:
Remy
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1675830/1000xRESIST/
Abhi
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1491670/Venba/
Topics:
Why does food taste better outside of Canada?
Xander asks: "Biased history is better"
Is it fair to make a new game console when we haven't finished the ones we already have?
Puranaanooru
https://oldtamilpoetry.com/2016/04/04/puranaanooru-256/
What's one IP you would like to adapt or work with?
Microtopics:
An image that allows you to attribute the text above it to the character in the image.
Knower. (The one who knows things.)
Losing your faith in God until...
2025-02-031h 08Topic Lords274. Samuel Beckett's Animal Crossing LettersLords:
John
https://abbydenton.itch.io/the-blade-of-cutiepants-a-very-cutie-christmas
Elena
Topics:
Potluck advent calendar
NES games in my collection that are currently ranked rather low according to Science
http://8bitnintendo.science
Subtopic: I've grown to love engaging with criticism and differing opinions of silly things I like.
How animals read
https://jamchamb.net/projects/animal-crossing-letters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy-kIXzX5Cc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGlpWJ80d_Y
https://ailbey.tumblr.com/post/750880084257374208
https://www.amazon.com/Dynamic-Wrinkles-Drapery-Solutions-Drawing/dp/0823015874
https://www.drawright.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Colour-Atlas-Human-Anatomy/dp/0723408823
Microtopics:
Crispy Shrimp...
2025-01-201h 06Topic Lords265. We're Here To Make This Slide FloppyLords:
Tim
Chris
Topics:
Noodles?
Everything and More (by DFW), the "impoverishment of the question",and free will
Choosing an integrator
https://gafferongames.com/post/integration_basics/
Lucky Jim (old song)
https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads-2024/images/3/3597ddeb-e52e-4cda-a59c-c64600489fea/U7zR1RCa.png
Collaborative music as a game design problem (see: skill gap, handicaps, engagement, peripheral participation)
Microtopics:
Celtic Music and Corgis.
Tim, a figure shrouded in mystery.
Topic Monologues.
Gluten-free noodle straws.
Bucatini: imagine a Red Vine but made of pasta.
Replacing food service workers with clockwork automata made...
2024-11-181h 10Topic Lords263. Drafted Into The Applebee's WarsLords:
Xalavier
Brianne
Topics:
Why do movies about contract killers skip over the good part of negotiating in excruciating detail the contract and clauses present?
Are fictional characters greater role models than real people?
The new Zelda game talks too much and I'm okay with that
Think of Others by Mahmoud Darwish
https://www.ayearofbeinghere.com/2014/11/mahmoud-darwish-think-of-others.html
Should every person be forcibly drafted into a customer service job, like the military.
The horrible things I would do in the Criterion Closet, if given an opportunity.
Jim's evidence for why The Pest is memorable: https://www...
2024-11-041h 09Topic Lords259. All Bag, No PipesLords:
Elena
Esper says: "I will join both guests in also recommending Dropout, especially Game Changer. They are on to something really special with the shows they're making, very little makes me laugh as hard as the stuff on there."
Tyriq
https://50games.fun/
Topics:
Being witty and social is my favorite power fantasy to realize
Popular music: sometimes popular because it's good?
Where do we go after Cohost
Ballad of the Veliger
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Garstang?useskin=vector#The_Ballad_of_the_Veliger
Microtopics:
Japanese cold medicine.
Promising the guy...
2024-10-071h 08Topic Lords257. Stinky JudoLords:
Nathan
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2976260/ChainStaff/
Tom
Topics:
During the summer olympics, France introduced breakdancing as an event, which was invented in America. They stole it from us! What new event should we steal from another country when the Olympics comes to LA in 2028?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izzy_(mascot)
Getting to an age where media is good: the writers are your contemporaries so their work doesn't feel stodgy anymore.
How are you saying goodbye to trigraphs?
Rain by Raymond Carver
https://readalittlepoetry.com/2012/12/13/rain-by-raymond-carver/
Jumping levels of abstraction while explaining computery things...
2024-09-231h 14Topic Lords256. Donkey Kong Is A TankieLords:
Mark
https://mythcarver.bandcamp.com/
https://writhenhilt.bandcamp.com/album/ancient-sword-cult
Dungeon Synth:
https://fief.bandcamp.com/
https://auramerlin.bandcamp.com/
https://shadowknell.bandcamp.com/
https://hillsfar.bandcamp.com/
https://erang.bandcamp.com/
Shirley
https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/some-lines-a-day.html
Topics:
Naming a human
Boomers say that you get more conservative as you get older, but I just keep getting more liberal.
I'm scared to start recording Mario Odyssey
The Orc
https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads-2024/images/3/3597ddeb-e52e-4cda-a59c-c64600489fea/6TcTlXuz.png
Microtopics:
Writhen Hilt.
Writing a few sentences to...
2024-09-161h 16Topic Lords255. We're Truly On The Bleeding Edge Of SomethingLords:
Adam
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2769410/Ash__Adams_GOBSMACKED/
Linker
https://linker.itch.io/
Topics:
Ways you've changed in the last 20 years that have surprised you
Examples of x animal software running on y animal hardware (ie. fox being cat software on dog hardware)
This argument about whether erasure poetry is poetry
https://www.tumblr.com/whistletown/753096096947011584
Favourite RPG (videogame or tabletop; open to interpretation)
Microtopics:
Launching a game in the deep past.
Indiepocalypse.
After Journey's End vol. 2.
The Monthly Tape Club.
Games that are big enough or marketable enough.
Getting excited about...
2024-09-0959 minTopic Lords252. A Properly Functioning Bag NoseLords:
JohnB
Kory
Topics:
I have become a vinyl record enjoyer
Teaching myself C++, or "I learned C++ when I should've learned C, AMA"
Forgetting things as a way of getting other things done
I Sat Belonely by John Lennon
https://silverbirchpress.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/i-sat-belonely-poem-by-john-lennon/
The vestigial organs of video games
Microtopics:
Kbones' Wire Tripper, on display at Wonderville.
Easter eggs for fans of Gordy and the Monster Moon.
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep.
Watching Shin Godzilla immediately after Evangelion.
Dan Ryckert's nonsense over at Giant Bomb.
Listening to a Mario Party game on...
2024-08-191h 04Topic Lords249. Singles Night At Whole FoodsLords:
Ian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tEaI_bi-i8
Shannon
https://www.oddityroadshow.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/struccimovies
Topics:
Official and unofficial remakes of Yojimbo
Danny McBride shows, and how to balance character likability with dark comedy- examples of this done well vs poorly?
I can't fix bad movie dialog mixing for everyone, but I can fix it in my own house
The Chinese Checker Players by Richard Brautigan
http://kempwash.blogspot.com/2011/05/chinese-checker-players-by-richard.html
Microtopics:
Songs that signify that this scene or moment is sophisticated.
How to pronounce Debussy.
Southern...
2024-07-291h 02Topic Lords229. This Show Now Available On Cockroach DNALords:
Megan
Lexi
Topics:
Erik Satie's performance indications
https://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=60&threadid=4497
Instant food from other cultures (why isn't everyone eating maggi noodles??)
Seasonal decorations
Delhi Metro
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17k75ftxEn2xR-tJkLSV4H8st5BFAxPNxE3BNCXDI6Go/edit
Becoming Immortal by being predictable
Living in different climates (e.g. my experiences with the harsh winters of Chicago vs sweltering Austin TX summers)
Microtopics:
Music implementation for The Lamplighters League.
Watching a streamer play games and asking them for a turn at the controls.
How to pronounce "...
2024-03-1154 minTopic Lords223. Three Hats To Scoop Up A MouseLords:
Andrew
https://kittenm4ster.neocities.org/
Aubrianne
Topics:
Knitting patterns are open source clothing
This one weird trick will make your videogame feel original
Esper says: "JRPGs are just menu games. Everything that's happening is an option in a menu doing some math, there's almost never timing involved. Why do they have to be 'battles?' I've always wanted to make a JRPG set in 1990 where instead of getting in battles, you're just a band from Detroit on tour. There's probably enough going on that you could make interesting JRPG 'battles' and story and characters...
2024-01-291h 12Topic Lords222. Barkley In RetrogradeLords:
Chris
Esper
Topics:
Geocaching
The Miyoo Mini and other handheld emulation consoles
I still think I could've made it as a highly paid Super Mario Bros. 35 coach. I should've gone for it.
There's Not a Person Alive by David Donihue
https://medium.com/@daviddonihue/theres-not-a-person-alive-poem-by-david-n-donihue-a1fcd714cc99
The strange semiparasocial relationship between a podcast editor and the people on the podcast
Struggling to relearn high school Spanish
Microtopics:
The editor of a podcast.
The #1 podcast for topic fans.
Chopping at some audio until it becomes a podcast.
Editing a recording into a podcast...
2024-01-221h 13Topic Lords221. Fisher-Price My First Right Click MenuLords:
Chris
Alex
Topics:
Living without software updates
I like Cyberpunk 2077
I had a friend who would argue with the people collecting signatures in support of a proposed law. Not about the proposal itself, but the methodology behind it.
PIECE A SHIT, possibly by Sam Pink
https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/3597ddeb-e52e-4cda-a59c-c64600489fea/Kl_AeoXl.jpg
Microtopics:
Lords of Topics.
Asking your mom if this Thanksgiving turkey is Frog Fractions 3.
Haiku Hero.
How to talk to the press.
An email from the guy who sent me the quirky thing...
2024-01-151h 12Topic Lords218. Darmok And Jalad Go To White CastleLords:
Stevie
Avery
Topics:
A tour of silly medieval musical instruments
The House of David, the baseball cult who all looked like oldtimey barbers.
Arguing with Winston about how needing to pee works
Avery's Non Mammalian Milk Corner
Ode on the Mammoth Cheese Weighing over 7,000 Pounds
https://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/content/ode-mammoth-cheese-weighing-over-7000-pounds
Microtopics:
Why the show works like that.
Asking people if they understand what's going on.
Spy software.
Exactly the kind of game you don't want to explain.
Someone who has a sense of humor and thinks something is funny.
A...
2023-12-251h 03Topic Lords212. Back In My Day, Kids Actually Crossied The RoadLords:
Mitch
https://janmisali.tumblr.com/
https://www.seximal.net/
Andrew
https://kittenm4ster.neocities.org/
Topics:
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the first mainline 2D Mario game since... (how many Super Mario games are there? update)
Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XejJ6PzPtEw
New survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScsj0Yibs4rJjHWjIRVb3wwHsgVS64qYOAoUWqRwrXEfgVeag/viewform
Owning the domain emailfordogs.com for some reason
When I took my driver's test, a kid ran out onto the road in front of me, I braked, and the proctor made a check mark...
2023-11-131h 10Topic Lords211. Window-Peering Jim Checking Out Your CatsLords:
Cort
https://a.co/d/iRrEZcy
Elena
Topics:
My due date is literally tomorrow
Dogme 95 for web development
Visits from the neighborhood cats
Potato, by Jane Kenyon
https://poets.org/poem/potato-0
Cooperative board games are hard to design
Space themed coop trick-taking card game: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/284083/crew-quest-planet-nine
Building a conlang generator from the phonology up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonority_hierarchy
Linear algebra cursed conlang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze5i_e_ryTk
Microtopics:
The Be Real App.
Posting your mortifying skin condition for all the internet...
2023-11-061h 04Topic Lords207. Muppet Bird Generation ShipLords:
Lesley
Nathan
Topics:
Thinking of survival shows like Alone, is "wilderness survival" a sport?
Regional differences in the tone and caliber of NextDoor posts
Pastry arbitrage
The Light That Shines When Things End
https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/3597ddeb-e52e-4cda-a59c-c64600489fea/bOfIPmqs.png
Wild takahē (TAH-kah-hay) have been reintroduced into the mountains of New Zealand
How are we feeling about the Boston Robotics advancements? Welcome our new robot overlords or not?
Microtopics:
Hyper Light Breaker.
Bumpy Grumpy.
Recording a podcast from inside a toilet.
Fishtank bubbling noises.
Assigning a p...
2023-10-091h 11Topic Lords206. Waiting Around For Laundry To Be InventedLords:
JP
Styger
Topics:
Wouldn't mind hearing Jim's thoughts on the recent Super Mario Bros Wonder video
Souls departing / cartoon ghosts
You're supposed to use a "spacer" with inhalers now
Probably not a full topic but I finally ate that apple I was hyped for in my fist Topic Lords appearance
Questions for a more experienced musician about learning to play piano + songwriting
How do we teach our children to pirate?
Microtopics:
The flu shot.
Your TV patching itself.
Going wading in a bog until laundry is invented.
Dying of smoke inhalation until someone...
2023-10-021h 21Topic Lords204. Defrag My ColonLords:
JohnB
CisHetKayFaber
Topics:
The human body is more similar than I'd like to shitty software (humans have chitinase in our DNA, immune system works like an antivirus)
The origin of hiccups
https://derinthescarletpescatarian.tumblr.com/post/723161770948231168/okay-so-the-thing-about-hiccups-is-that-you-have
Twenty years ago there were like three real books about videogames that weren't strategy guides and now there are hundreds.
"untitled" by Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz
https://allpoetry.com/poem/13310612-Prostetnic-Vogon-Jeltz-by-Bollox
TV shows that have inspired original mathematics - yes, it has happened more than once
Microtopics:
Whether it's okay to catch up.
Air conditioning on hot...
2023-09-181h 10Topic Lords203. Only Girls Get Duck Combs For ChristmasLords:
CisHetKayFaber
Phone
Topics:
Correction regarding a previous topic where I stated that Metal Gear Solid 2 was the most important game of 2023
https://twitter.com/othatsraspberry
Children cannot be trusted to enjoy things, and maybe that's fine
This list of extremely specific danger signs
https://nextworldover.tumblr.com/post/720069329613357056
https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/3597ddeb-e52e-4cda-a59c-c64600489fea/Tkr719yF.jpg
https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/3597ddeb-e52e-4cda-a59c-c64600489fea/9unswnr6.jpg
"Bank Account" by Louis Cole
https://genius.com/Louis-cole-bank-account-lyrics
Technical beliefs you have which may be regarded as...
2023-09-111h 08Topic Lords202. Tim Was My JimLords:
Mark
Shirley
Topics
Lawn Angst: Why does the city get to decide what is a weed vs an acceptable plant?
Learning to code is like a cheat code for life, or at least work
Poop epidemiology
https://nextworldover.tumblr.com/post/720886587343454208
Insomnolence by Charles Rafferty
https://poets.org/poem/insomnolence
Ville asks: "buying mysterious items that aren't labeled in a language you speak from the Asian supermarket because the picture on the front looks good, then choosing whether to roll the dice by putting them in your dinner or keep them in the back of...
2023-09-041h 15Topic Lords195. Persian Castle Day At The Climbing GymLords:
Alexicographic
Kev
Topics:
Sports are good actually? Apparently?
Haunted articles of clothing
Burrito R&D
Casey at the Bat
https://discoverpoetry.com/poems/ernest-lawrence-thayer/casey-at-the-bat/
Becoming a vtuber after losing a bet
Getting a guided tour of a TV show
Microtopics:
Streaming daily.
The Tears of the Kingdom thread in the Topic Lords discord.
A rigid self-conception as someone who does not like sports.
Roller derby.
Whether skateboarding is a sport.
Going fast and shoving past people.
An athletic endeavor.
How much hockey fights feed back into the actual game.
Baseball nerds.
Chart...
2023-07-1752 minTopic Lords187. The Second-Best Whale Playground In EmeryvilleLords:
Cort
Stephan
https://lonelystarsoftware.itch.io/playdapon
Topics:
USB-C cables that only work in one orientation
http://blog.zarfhome.com/2023/04/usb-c-and-plague-of-grackles.html
Playgrounds seem to have gotten really good again in the last ten years
Bedtime guitar update
Where the Wild Things Are
https://genius.com/Maurice-sendak-where-the-wild-things-are-annotated
Classic hardware has become a kind of fantasy console
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/04/wi-fi-in-an-nes-cartridge-super-tilt-bro-takes-the-1985-console-online/
https://www.thenew8bitheroes.com/
https://www.gbstudio.dev/
Constructing a computing environment as a nested series of cages for a child to escape
Microtopics:
Extra plugs.
Mr. Saitou
How to...
2023-05-221h 08Topic Lords183. The Radioactive Scone ProblemLords:
John
Quil
Topics:
Taking advantage of a rare opportunity to play a Legend of Zelda game before every aspect of it is documented on the internet
RCA's implementation of color television is one of the most impressive engineering feats of the 20th century
The guy next to me on BART talked to me the entire ride home from GDC. He made me play the phone game he was addicted to and compared my performance to the coworker he was also making play the game. He got a call from his wife and introduced me to...
2023-04-241h 01Topic Lords180. We Are All Stardust PoopLords:
Ichiro
Adam
Topics:
I learned how to animate by watching cartoons as a child (and I'm curious what else folks absorbed as a child that impacted the kind of adult they became)
I created a Totally Human Rapper that can read up on a game and cut a rap video.
Frog Fractions is banned from AGDQ
"Frog Fractions" by Totally Human Rapper
Tiny Mass Games small games cycle.
Microtopics:
One of the episodes with a cold open.
Live from New York, it's.
Using ocean water as a mixer.
Being of poop and returning...
2023-04-031h 00Topic Lords177. An Episode Your Landlord Should Not Listen ToSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Alicia
Ryan
Just type his name into google.
Topics:
Seattle's reaction to snow vs the Bay Area's reaction to rain: who is more dramatic?
Would you rather fart bones once a month or have Goldeneye "big head mode" on in real life for a year?
Moral philosophy lessons from the California DMV
Nancy
https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1966/08/18/nancy/
Common everyday items that make you mentally "time travel"
Microtopics:
Structurally reinforcing the scrotum.
Plugging mundane chores around the house.
Why...
2023-03-131h 03Topic Lords175. This Movie Has Marky Mark In ItSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Erica
Jesse
Topics:
There's a Spanish word which officially cannot be written because the grammar and orthography conflict about how it should spelled/pronounced.
My personal relationship with Disco Elysium
Clue II: Murder in Disguise
All of the Words on a Bottle of Rolling Rock Beer in a Different Order
https://expatriotact.blogspot.com/2006/10/poets-corner-demetri-martin.html
This year's beast of a Mystery Hunt
Shareable alarms
Microtopics:
Texans with nothing to plug.
The Army Corp of Engineers coming to your town...
2023-02-271h 14Topic Lords171. Reasons To Not Throw Your Phone In The OceanSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
CisHetKayFaber
Kev
Topics:
Food from dreams and nightmares
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adeonibada/man-dream-kings-hand-snack
Han Unification happened in Unicode and every time they add more emojis to the Unicode spec it literally hurts
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_unification
The Super Mega Crossword
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/18/crosswords/super-mega-2022-clues.html
Down by the Bay by Raffi
https://www.vulture.com/2015/12/finding-raffi-c-v-r.html
Video game franchises known for secrets
Five-tined forks
[NMS] https://www.google.com/search?q=five-tined+forks...
2023-01-301h 09Topic Lords169. TopiclessSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
John
robohunkx on Twitter, robohunk on most social media platforms
Tim
Jamestown+
The Pathless
https://github.com/westquote/squidtasks
Topics:
America's self-denying culture of compartmentalization
Deus Ex: Revision is a mod for Deus Ex that changes maps just enough that it feels like a new game without losing what made the original special.
Napster pranks and more generally, fun with the early internet's poor security
The Last Titan
https://topiclords.com/articles/the-last-titan
Topic Lords update: A review of the Gros Michel...
2023-01-161h 12Topic Lords159. It's Beautiful That We Once ExistedSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Kev
Cort
Cort's new album: https://postgoodism.bandcamp.com/album/tourism
The Frog Fractions vinyl: https://www.turtlepalstapes.com/product/frog-fractions-green
Monty Python's three-sided record: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monty_Python_Matching_Tie_and_Handkerchief
Locked grooves: https://www.yoursoundmatters.com/locked-grooves-endless-fun-literally/
The Most Wanted Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jId-qaEwuvI
The Most Unwanted Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gPuH1yeZ08
Topics:
Before age ~4 you don't really make long-term memories, but you can develop long-term habits...
2022-11-071h 06Topic Lords158. Bark Mitzvah: Where Your Good Boy Becomes A MenschSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Erica
The Real John B
Topics:
The Nancy Drew Point and Click adventure series
Advances in garbage food technology
The mysterious grunting voice playing over the American Airlines intercom
https://waxy.org/2022/09/a-mysterious-voice-is-haunting-american-airlines-in-flight-announcements-and-nobody-knows-how/
A poem I found: "The Cow" by Oliver Herford
https://twitter.com/YouOldSoAndSo/status/1053873522823446528
Klik, freeware and indie games in the late 90s and early 2000s
http://freegames.org/GameHippo
Microtopics:
Other topic podcasts biting Jim's steeze.
Spending the next hour blushing.
Holding a Bark Mitzvah to...
2022-10-311h 09Topic Lords157. The Boy Who Cried ARGSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Tyriq
https://twitter.com/FourbitFriday
https://frror.bandcamp.com/
Chall
https://twitter.com/mrchrislhall
Topics:
The future/present of Jim's mario videos.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3SbI8kec0Ntxnf9mof2tU-QZLQ0Mq6zd
Catatcomb Kids lore in the context of the fact that I like worldbuilding but find it hard to tell actual stories.
Bigger Luke
The Green Street Mortuary Marching Band.
http://www.syndicjournal.us/a-ferlinghetti-memorial-supplement-60-narrations/ferlinghetti-memorial-supplement-the-green-street-mortuary-marching-band/
Have you seen any phantom kangaroos? And also: should I...
2022-10-241h 10Topic Lords155. Do AI Researchers Know About Having Kids?Support Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Jude
https://bikechurch.santacruzhub.org/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-jackson-605680100/
Shepard
Topics:
The attention schema model of consciousness
https://books.google.com/books?id=Ta4eAAAAQBAJ&pg=PP1
Studying a children's picture book in academia because it was successfully banned out of existence
Your favorite floor cocktail
Ode to Waluigi
https://www.stalberttoday.ca/local-news/student-poet-wins-national-award-1278635
Did generations used to be a thing?
Remembering what the mnemonic is but not what it is supposed to remind you.
Microtopics:
...
2022-10-1058 minTopic Lords154. QWERTY In The Streets, Colemak In The SheetsSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Tyriq
https://twitter.com/FourbitFriday
https://frror.bandcamp.com/
Stevie
codroid@gmail.com
Topics:
Striped humans
Alternative keyboard layouts: teaching yourself to type in new horrible ways
Where did I get these floppy disks?
The floppy disk poems
How do I give a tech talk?
https://vimeo.com/91436410
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59hwI9Ae1qU
http://paperdino.com/save-the-date/
Microtopics:
The extent of Jim's patience vis-a-vis delayed plugging.
Wishing you didn't make things so you could talk about...
2022-10-031h 17Topic Lords151. A Fantastic Way To Escape From Your Loved OnesSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Mike
https://twitter.com/mikeambrogi
Adam
https://twitter.com/adamdeGrandis/
Topics:
Cooking is awesome
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023147-tuna-crunch-sandwiches
Profound kid questions ("how do you like something?")
Mr. Jaws
https://youtu.be/JeYCOFblZRg
Distant Regard by Tony Hoagland
https://condofire.com/2018/12/16/poem-of-the-week-distant-regard-by-tony-hoagland-via-alison-mcghee/
Having very tight standards that you hold in one part of your creative life that you totally ignore in other parts. As a game artist, it drives me crazy when people make creative decisions without solid design to back...
2022-09-121h 07Topic Lords146. If You Can't Pay The Time, Don't Do The Feet LikingSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Maxx
http://false-panels.com/
Nelson
https://twitter.com/WritNelson/
Topics:
How many random numbers you can dial before you contact someone who is expecting you
Pocket versions of your art. (Mini games, mini sculpture, mini songs?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Matthews_Band_Chicago_River_incident
https://poets.org/poem/so-you-want-be-writer
Microtopics:
Being non-binary in Washington.
Witch Strandings.
The crucial aspects that define a traditional Strand-Like.
What makes the nurturing not feel bad/weird?
Physically inhabiting a mouse...
2022-08-0848 minTopic Lords141. Toast In Its Original FormatSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Avery
Jesse
Topics:
Laserdisc
Tracing the lineage of racehorses on Wikipedia
Bread is too wide to fit in toasters
https://twitter.com/mogwai_poet/status/1335354217335148546/photo/1
Variants of bowling, now mostly lost to history, are like glimpses into possible worlds metaphysically close to our own
Microtopics:
How to sound like a douchebag if you are a programmer who lives in Oakland.
A Social Security Number that has way too many sixes in it.
A disc that is the same size...
2022-07-041h 06Topic Lords136. Thanks For Inventing Dengue Fever, Mark RosewaterSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Erica plugs increasing optional mask compliance by farting
Jenni plugs birds
Jim plugs metaplugs repeating plugs
Topics:
The System, and by extension, The Talenti Cup System
Decentralizing social media is gonna be real good for people not yelling at each other & kinda bad for sharing specialized information
We just taught Winston about "peeing in the woods" when we were going on a hike and now he wants to "pee in the woods" everywhere
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45521/i-wandered-lonely-as-a-cloud
Mark Rosewater designed...
2022-05-301h 03Topic Lords134. A Bad Case Of FootmouseSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Maxx
maxx.infinity@gmail.com
Michael
https://www.instagram.com/softseabunny/
https://www.tiktok.com/@creative.rabbit
Topics:
"World's greatest author Chuck Tingle"
Way of making moving easier, collective tips?
https://overmental.com/content/the-beautiful-zelda-artwork-of-katsuya-terada-7898
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DataHand
Melatonin parenting decisions
http://false-panels.com/fjf/
Microtopics:
Rabbit nose speeds.
A stranger from Australia handing you a twenty dollar bill.
Lining a trench coat with Steam keys.
How to make Elden Ring feel like a video game rather...
2022-05-161h 00Topic Lords131. GDC Santa Rides AgainSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Mike
Kev
http://www.radcade.com/
Topics
Embracing creative chaos is very hard but paradoxically extremely common?
Thanatosensitivity
GDC happened this year! They really did it
Tarantulas on the Lifebuoy By Thomas Lux
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48483/tarantulas-on-the-lifebuoy
Being left handed in a right handed world
Microtopics:
Wanting to learn to program and moving to Maine.
Learning to program by implementing a meticulous copy of Metroid for the NES.
Choosing to live a life that feels like an anime...
2022-04-251h 07Topic Lords130. Gilding The LemurSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Tyriq
https://twitter.com/FourbitFriday
https://frror.bandcamp.com/
Stevie
https://www.hryx.net
Topics:
Watching TAS videos and wondering how much of what is happening is necessary vs flourish
If Jeff Bezos wanted to recreate Jurassic Park
Chocolate-dipped fruit has such an enormous gulf between perceived effort and actual effort that as a gift giver or potluck attendee you are all but obligated to take advantage
Strong Men, Riding Horses by Gwendolyn Brooks
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=28113
The...
2022-04-181h 12Topic Lords125. Your Mom Won't CrySupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Danielle
https://www.twitch.tv/damaplaysgames
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2Fq8V-L5rfNvGa-DAQBPsg
Alexander
https://twitter.com/adlleong
Topics:
Learning to figure skate as an adult
Cursed mnemonics we never question
What was the first thing you remember buying online?
"Chi dara fine al gran dolore? L’ore" from House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski
My daughter has strong beliefs about the afterlife
I don't actually want to speedrun anything, I just want to learn how they do it
On...
2022-03-141h 03Topic Lords124. Call Me Da5id; Da4id Was My FatherSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Tyriq
https://twitter.com/FourbitFriday
Xander
Topics:
The year was 1998, and choosing a name with numbers in it was a completely normal thing to do.
http://www.dkriesel.com/en/blog/2013/0802_xerox-workcentres_are_switching_written_numbers_when_scanning
How do you overcome the inertia of old familiar tools when trying to learn new ways to do the same thing?
I confused Daniel Day-Lewis with Lou Diamond Phillips for years, thinking they were the same person. I'm not sure why but my hypothesis...
2022-03-071h 01Topic Lords120. The Mouse Is For Hippies And SlackersSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Daniel
https://twitter.com/dmullinsgames
Jonah
https://works.rip/
Topics:
Chop socky – when are we gonna get that energy back into the world media producing environment? Also listening to movies instead of watching them.
The Resident Evil series
Flettner airplanes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlmvHfIAszo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6geOms33Dk
Double feature:
The Eel by Ogden Nash https://poetrysplash.tripod.com/ogdennash2.htm
The Lama, by Ogden Nash https://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/poetry/poem-a-day/lama
Indonesia: Th...
2022-02-071h 01Topic Lords119. Book 'Em, DildanoSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Jenni
@horsewizrd
Chris
Topics:
The coming schism between Wordle purists & Wordle metagamers
Amazon kindle fantasy best-sellers is ruled by niches that nobody outside of kindle or Royal Road users have heard of
https://www.sbnation.com/a/17776-football
In high school I knew a guy who, one time, managed to use up all the ink in a ball-point pen. The ink tube in there was just totally empty, it was astonishing. Nowadays whenever we run out of olive oil I get the...
2022-01-311h 03Topic Lords107. 27 Kilobytes Of Pure MagicSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Ryan
https://twitter.com/ryanikecomposer/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldtX4d5qanA
Jenni
https://twitter.com/horsewizrd/
Topics:
Video games providing an illusion of competency & how jarring it is when they don't
Carcinization
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinisation
Manualism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwxvOKuLUQ0
Did you ever play "AR games" with your own imagination when you were a kid? What kind?
Microtopics:
Whether Jim enjoys it when nobody can decide who should go first.
Whoever...
2021-11-081h 05Topic Lords103. The 303 Beethoven UsedSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Avery
https://averyburke.bandcamp.com/releases
Jay
https://twitter.com/jaytholen
Topics:
Kowloon Walled City
Internet communities gaining a reputation and then changing over time as members mature.
The moral cost of the 303 Devilfish clone
Justified and Ancient
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP5oHL3zBDg
Unedited (syncable) commentary: https://youtu.be/Peeo6xZqeVs
Cyber Nexus internet cafe in Lakeland Florida and late 1990s internet cafes in general
https://twitter.com/jaytholen/status/1370002162063990786
Microtopics:
Putting all of Spotify on...
2021-10-111h 13Topic Lords100. Cold Brew HamSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Jenni
https://twitter.com/horsewizrd/
Chris
Topics:
Lord Chumley
Topic Lords editor Esper Quinn weighs in on Transformer lore: "The second ever podcast I really worked on was called Sound.wav, a read-along Transformers comics podcast. I knew nothing about Transformers, and my friend Nell knew everything about them. We stuck to the IDW canon, but my understanding is, Transformers show up as naturally occurring "sparks" (a sort of semi-magical soul-piece) on the surface of the planet Cybertron, which if left to...
2021-09-2059 minTopic Lords95. The Florida Of CanadaSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Maxx
@mechcem on Twitter
Maxx plugs sitting at various angles
Erica
@YerrikTRB on Twitter
Erica plugs Lovage, not the band but the spice
Jim
Jim plugs Big Boy beds, or doesn’t
Topics:
Things I Chewed as a Youth.
In which I beg Jim to use a sharp knife or at least let me teach his child to.
Canadian floating feet: explained.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salish_Sea_human_foot_discoveries
Brad asks "Listening to spoilery discussion of a piece of me...
2021-08-161h 02Topic Lords93. A Medical Advice PodcastSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Mara
https://twitter.com/McaelinL
April
https://twitter.com/aprilsaur/
Topics:
Frog and Toad core
What would you do with a bonus room in your house?
My reptile brain is a cat-loving ninja
If you could submit one thing (a song, a building, a food, an activity, an abstract concept) to the interstellar community of sapient intelligences as your part of The Case For Why The Human Race Is Good And Cool, what would it be?
How earnest lessons you try to...
2021-08-021h 01Topic Lords77. A Vocal Quirk Of Your Mind (For Other People)Support Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Tyriq
https://twitter.com/FourbitFriday
Chris
https://twitter.com/MrChrisLHall
Topics:
Revisiting Game Maker after 10 years, and getting right back into it
What's your jrpg/anime vocal quirk?
Electric showers
Weval - Someday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-wEvzqdDZg
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO_Intangible_Cultural_Heritage_Lists
Microtopics:
A game that has been in early access for 7,000 years.
Coming back to software you last used a decade ago and finding that it...
2021-04-121h 08Topic Lords72. Gaseous Iron And The Hot JupitersSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Ben
https://twitter.com/AussieBen
Michelle
https://twitter.com/riding_red
https://www.sciencealert.com/
Topics:
Dora the Explorer and the City of Gold was a delightful surprise
We're about to land another rover on Mars and that is super way cool
Michelle: "Just clarifying that most discarded rocket stages don't end up in low-Earth orbit forever, they're designed to deorbit and burn up on atmospheric reentry. Sometimes things just go a bit awry."
Scratch-off Donkey Kong
http://catfish.it.cx/trsrockin...
2021-03-0852 minTopic Lords65. Love In The Time Of Beavis And ButtheadSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
April
https://twitter.com/aprilsaur
John
https://ostparty.podbean.com/
https://twitter.com/YouOldSoAndSo
https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/pooplers-switch/
https://twitter.com/lizardengland/status/1333825611144556547/photo/1
Topics:
Woodworking
Mentors and mentorship in general
Advent calendar dice
Scott asks "Please discuss Rax and Mr. Delicious"
https://boingboing.net/2020/10/09/meet-mr-delicious-the-weirdest-fast-food-spokesperson-ever.html
Mariko Aoki Phenomenon. The phenomenon of having to poop when entering a bookstore. Named after the woman who experienced it and brought it to wider attention. If you wish to elaborate further...
2021-01-181h 03Topic Lords62. A Real Egg HobbyistSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Mark plugs Ravening Iron
Shirley plugs a silicone reusable popcorn maker
Topics:
The trend of positive media (Great British Baking Show, etc.)
What is your favorite magic paradigm? Related: Space Wizards: What happened??
Transitioning from being able to cook a dish to being able to cook a meal
Larry asks "Yearbooks. Do you still have them? Have you ever actually used one? Is it full of signatures and stuff like that?"
"Dude, maybe Jim can give us parenting advice" is what I...
2020-12-281h 05Topic Lords59. 1-800-Ask-A-Harpsichord.comSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Amanda
akotchon@gmail.com
Alexander is still a math professor
Topics:
Harpsichord music in public domain for spooky chiptune soundtracks
The elements of chip music. https://www.linusakesson.net/music/elements/index.php
Shareware floppies! Remember those?
Skunny the Squirrel: Save Our Pizzas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tceqj1x_Q8Q
Skunny Kart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0JzpjINeE0
The outlandish economic world of Neopets
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1297485937384001537.html
Running a Beanie Baby arbitrage empire.
Microtopics:
2020-12-071h 11Topic Lords54. Stab 'Em Into PlaceSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Adina is @FeyTechnologist on Twitter.
Alex is @ThemsAllTook on Twitter.
https://www.youtube.com/user/adiener
Topics:
Anarcho-communism for basic bitches
How I overcame my inability to stick with a project for the long haul
https://pomodoro-tracker.com/
Simulating the fluidity of natural group conversations in voice chat
Stephen asks: "The Damascus steel of maze generation algorithms"
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190919-the-maze-puzzle-hidden-within-an-early-video-game
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_inverse_square_root
The hidden worlds of each person's living space
Learning...
2020-11-021h 02Topic Lords51. I Don't Want To Eat This Bug, ObviouslySupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Ben is not on the Internet but is just happy to be here. He recommends Lindsay Ellis, an excellent film critic:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG1h-Wqjtwz7uUANw6gazRw
Ryan is The Man Who Messed Up Walking His Dog So Badly It Made The News.
http://ryannorth.ca/
https://twitter.com/ryanqnorth
Topics:
Being able to cook a recipe from your mind without being able to explain how.
Every recipe has a step called "to taste" that is a mini version...
2020-10-121h 00Topic Lords44. Oops! All BiogelSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Jenni is emailable at jenni@jennipolodna.com and plugs Chris's cooking channel on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRsnCRAIi-VsRPPX4AtzVGQ/
Maxx is on Twitter as @mechcem or emailable at maxx.infinity@gmail.com and plugs their game bookclub thing.
https://groups.google.com/g/game-book-club/about
Topics:
Not caring if you're duplicating thought work that was done by a ton of people forever ago because you're having a good time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punnett_square
Correction on Japanese crop...
2020-08-2458 minTopic Lords43. You Vs. The One Your Mom Told You To Worry AboutSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Alexander teaches math at the college level, which has been quite an experience the past few months.
Jonah makes music for video games, for example Pony Island.
http://works.rip/
Topics:
TI-83 games. Specifically, Tie Fighter / Bobsled / Indy500.
The jazz fusion act that inspired all video game music.
This is the concert we refer to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBD1_mrRUIk
But these are the specific T-Square songs included in the episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZaUPGjjA4c
...
2020-08-171h 04Topic Lords42. Refrigerator Roy, or Stephanie I'm So SorrySupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Elizabeth is not on the Internet but plugs http://oyate.org/, which puts historically accurate books in the hands of Native American children.
Erica is already on the roof of your car and plugs Glittermitten Grove, a game which is full of surprises https://store.steampowered.com/app/536890/Glittermitten_Grove/
Topics:
I'm going to have to ask you to leave the goat outside: driving the bookmobile in rural Washington.
Bookmobiles as a center of rural life: https://news.wsu.edu/2015/04/08/the-world-on-wheels-bookmobile-the-center-of-rural-life/
"Every...
2020-08-101h 14Topic Lords41. Non-Euclidean ChristianitySupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Ryan is @RyanIkeComposer on Twitter and @RyanIkeAudio on Instagram and is probably not working on Skyrim 2?
Tyriq is FourbitFriday everywhere and really wants to finish Catacomb Kids.
https://www.ckgame.net/
Topics:
What's a fandom you're not a part of, but kind of wish you were?
Pointless Automatons
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/opinion/future-scooters-central-park.html
https://www.strandbeest.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HitchBOT
http://www.tweenbots.com
Please help reconstruct this lost pun: "vegan jazz standards" with nutritional yeast
Mallow...
2020-08-031h 10Topic Lords40. I'll Show Them... I'll Invent Superman!Support Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
John
Biker Chicks Tier List. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1591151119
Jesse
https://twitter.com/thefringthing
Topics:
Canadian Heritage Minutes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadarm
YouTube playlist of Heritage Minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCWANopglXI&list=PL1848FF9428CA9A4A
List of Heritage Minutes on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Minutes
What are your tips for collaborating with people with a higher or lower skill level than you?
Are we allowed to talk yet about how...
2020-07-271h 11Topic Lords39. A Delicious MushballSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Shane is a Jesuit Regent who used to make video games.
https://twitter.com/OptimistPanda
Donate to the Jesuit Refugee Service: https://jrs.net/donate
Nathan makes games mostly about jumping and shooting 2D monsters.
https://twitter.com/MommysBestGames
http://mommysbestgames.com/
Topics:
Beforeigners (Norwegian TV show about refugees from different historical periods showing up in present-day)
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASr0n5LnWnU
Curating your child's entertainment so they grow up with good taste
I spent half an...
2020-07-201h 08Topic Lords38. Inside The Atomic Purple ManSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Rachel helps run Glitch City.
https://twitter.com/rachel_sala
https://glitch.city/
Natalie makes art games.
https://twitter.com/alienmelon
https://alienmelon.itch.io/electric-zine-maker
Topics:
If there was another animal that was horse sized and rideable, what would you want it to be?
He-Man Sings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32FB-gYr49Y
Chicken beauty pageants. https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/03/the-bizarre-world-of-chicken-beauty-pageants-photographed-by-ernest-goh/
Would Jurassic Park be the same if the dinosaurs were depicted as giant birds instead of giant lizards and...
2020-07-1356 minTopic Lords37. Fela CootiesSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Jay is working on an expansion to Hypnospace Outlaw.
https://twitter.com/jaytholen
Rollin' With Tholen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXZFm1FLx6E
Chris's album "The Lost Backups" will hopefully be out by the time this episode airs.
https://twitter.com/CHRISdelCAMINO
https://twitter.com/beekChiptunes
https://www.instagram.com/chrisdelcamino/
Topics:
7:06 I'm looking for ideas for my "songwriters" "tarot deck"
The Most Wanted Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McIfIx29tSg
The Most Unwanted Song https://www.youtube...
2020-07-0659 minTopic Lords36. Look At An Octopus While You ShowerSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
This is the show we recorded live at Duckfest 2020! http://duckfeed.tv/duckfest
Lords:
Jenni is reachable at jenni@jennipolodna.com.
Chris is making cooking videos at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRsnCRAIi-VsRPPX4AtzVGQ/
April is @aprilsaur on Twitter.
Topics:
Befriending ravens
Just Say No. https://www.reddit.com/r/Ornithology/comments/29y31o/id_like_to_befriend_some_local_ravens_but_should/
What if part of the government apparatus was a PVP mobile game & billionaires willingly sent in tax dollars...
2020-06-2951 minTopic Lords35. Nick Cave's Meow Mix Murder BalladsSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Erica is @yerrikTRB on Twitter, and is thinking about birds
Dan is @danlwarren on Twitter, and is at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (https://www.oist.jp/). His soundcloud is https://soundcloud.com/danwarren. He is writing music for Hypnospace Outlaw https://store.steampowered.com/app/844590/Hypnospace_Outlaw/
Topics:
1:58 The unreliable narrator in songwriting and/or songs where the POV character is a jerk
We all hope Ben Folds is an unreliable narrator in his song “Brick.” https://www.youtube.com...
2020-06-221h 12Topic Lords34. We Don't Talk About Poop StonehengeSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Elena is on the Topic Lords Discord and recommends https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/monsterhearts
Shannon lives in a cave and recommends https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modelland
Topics:
2:14 Lucid dreaming and/or recurrent dreams - do you have them?
Can't find the link for Dream Wikipedia here but I'll keep looking. https://wikimediafoundation.org/support/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility_monster
14:04 Eight kinds of fun.
https://theangrygm.com/gaming-for-fun-part-1-eight-kinds-of-fun/
Real-play podcasts:
https://critrole.com/podcast/
http://friendsatthetable.net/
https://maximumfun.org...
2020-06-151h 08Topic Lords33. Two-Grass Of The FaceSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords this week:
Craig was Jim's collaborator on Glittermitten Grove.
@craigtimpany on Twitter.
https://www.mostlytigerproof.com/
https://pinballheresies.com/
Shannon does a lot of different stuff!
@plentyofalcoves on Twitter.
Strucci Movies. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh9DnjvObUcvvwrYbJ4-cLQ
Hbomberguy. https://www.youtube.com/user/hbomberguy
Struggle Sessions. http://www.strugglesession.us/
Critical Bits. https://www.criticalbitcast.com/
Topics:
2:51 What are the best attributes for a collaborator to have? The worst?
10:45 Craig's favourite language, Tok Pisin of Papua New Guinea.
https://en...
2020-06-0859 minTopic Lords32. Tandem CPAPSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Rachel is on Twitter as @rachel_sala. Check out Glitch CIty! https://glitch.city/
Laura is on Twitter as @lmichet and the web at http://lauramichet.com/. Check out Industries of Titan! https://braceyourselfgames.com/industries-of-titan/
Topics:
4:10 All clothes hangers should be made of wood rather than wire or plastic.
8:32 How do you feel about food mascots shaped like the food you're about to eat?
Will Graham discovers Hannibal's love for sweetbreads at ~3:10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbcI6h1_bHg
12:31...
2020-06-011h 04Topic Lords31. seedhutch.horseSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Jenni is reachable at jenni@jennipolodna.com.
Chris is making cooking videos at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRsnCRAIi-VsRPPX4AtzVGQ/
Topics:
2:42 Suddenly Anxiety and OCD are culturally adaptive behaviors.
8:16 Opening negotiations with your real-life employer to get them to pay you in Nook Miles
13:44 Animal Crossing speed runs
Animal Crossing 100% in 19h25m. https://www.speedrun.com/ac/run/y21ejk7z
Animal Crossing New Horizons All Debts in 1h52m. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdH-pj1ZUac
Super Mario Sunshine...
2020-05-2554 minTopic Lords30. Century Of The FruitbatSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Chris will find you. He is working on Core Editor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RyUjnpyJY4
Chris is @MrChrisLHall on Twitter and is working on https://www.adventurelab.fun/
Topics:
2:07 Wikipedia descriptions of fighting game stories
The Rad Project. http://web.archive.org/web/20070406100535/http://www.flammie.net/vse/things/rad/index.htm
13:05 Is there a 21st century version of the thank-you note?
The Double Disappearance of Walter Fozbek. http://bookembob.blogspot.com/2011/07/double-disappearance-of-walter-fozbek.html
The Selective Attention Test. https://youtu...
2020-05-181h 11Topic Lords29. Respect The Hustler, Not The HustleSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Jenni is on an internet break but you can email her at jenni@jennipolodna.com.
Gary is @GaryBuh on Twitter and does podcasts at the Duckfeed network. http://duckfeed.tv/
Topics:
1:41 How did people decide to eat certain vegetables, even though they don't look like food and sometimes taste like shit?
4:18 Stephen King writing about boners (there is a Tumblr)
https://stephenkingsboners.tumblr.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald%27s_Game#Plot
12:28 Airplane respiration strategies
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/05/explore-transparent-plants/
16:45...
2020-05-111h 03Topic Lords28. Stealing The Dead Skunk Back And Forth ForeverSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
April is a beast lord and Jim's wife. @AprilSaur
Ryan is somehow also Jim's wife? @RyanIkeComposer
Topics:
3:56 The "spigot question" Jim keeps avoiding.
https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/others/hugin-and-munin/
A second person may be "cured" of HIV. https://www.vox.com/2019/3/5/18249607/hiv-cure-2019
13:05 New Decade reading resolution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witcher
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seanan_McGuire
http://www.scp-wiki.net/antimemetics-division-hub
I personally recommend starting with "Introductory Antimemetics," which is a good intro to the concepts, then everything...
2020-05-0454 minTopic Lords27. The Great Mongolian Potato Sack Yak RaceSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Jesse is @thefringthing on Twitter.
Avery has a Facebook somewhere and if you find it you can ask him whether he's playing any live shows.
Topics:
2:03 Math problems that are easy to explain but unsolved or unsolvable.
https://www2.stetson.edu/~efriedma/squinsqu/
13:28 The list of Mr. Potato Head's accomplishments on his Wikipedia page makes him sound like a real person who was perhaps an ambassador.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Potato_Head
https://www.ashrita.com/about/
23:36 Hypothesis: a steadily...
2020-04-271h 03Topic Lords26. The Double Equilibrium Point Of Water (For Fish)Support Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords
John Mystery lives in Maryland. https://googlethatforyou.com?q=john%20mystery%20maryland
Nelson is making An Airport For Aliens Currently Run By Dogs.
@WritNelson on Twitter.
https://www.patreon.com/StrangeScaffold
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1246250/An_Airport_for_Aliens_Currently_Run_by_Dogs/
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/epic-pictures-launch-gaming-venture-1289270
Topics:
6:15 My worst fear as an adolescent: gravity reverses while I am in the family car on the 110 and I am flung into the sky at 9.8m/s2
VVVVVV https://www.youtube...
2020-04-201h 11Topic Lords25. Which One Is Eggteen?Support Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Rusty is Rusty#1990 on Discord.
Rusty's Discord bot: https://deepfake-bot.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
Chris is @MrChrisLHall on Twitter.
Topics:
2:39 Games that are work.
12:40 Twitter bots posting photos of people and cats that do not exist
https://twitter.com/DoesNotExistBot
https://twitter.com/normalcatpics
17:15 The best way to future proof your job against AI takeover is to get a job that machines are already better at but humans still do it anyway.
24:34 Quill asks: "Have you ever seen the different verbal naming...
2020-04-1354 minTopic Lords24. So Horrible And Yet So TinySupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Jenni is on an internet break but you can email her at jenni@jennipolodna.com.
Tyriq is @fourbitfriday on Twitter and elsewhere, and is making Catacomb Kids. https://www.ckgame.net/
Topics:
2:13 Hot Topic
"Peaches, meet your fate!" https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/blna2q/hot_topic_employees_of_reddit_what_are_your/emqprnc/
8:28 Toe picks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_56TYtCggc
Mike Vallely yells at Tony Hawk about pressure flips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQCe6guSOOM
...
2020-04-061h 01Topic Lords23. Purpleface's Face Isn't PurpleSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Danny enjoys bananas.
https://twitter.com/itsdannymusic
https://www.youtube.com/dannymusic
https://www.twitch.tv/dannymusic
Lauren streams on Twitch and plays in The Returners.
https://twitter.com/laurentheflute
https://www.twitch.tv/laurentheflute
http://the-returners.com/
Topics
1:12 If every Tetris piece has a personality, which piece would you most prefer to be stuck with on a deserted island?
The History of Tetris Randomizers. https://simon.lc/the-history-of-tetris-randomizers
12:45 The sense of smell is most closely tied to memory. Are there any...
2020-03-301h 02Topic Lords22. Abstinent Train PolyculeSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Ryan (@ryanikecomposer) made a great grilled cheese sandwich in an air fryer two weeks ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_fryer
Alexander is a math professor at DigiPen and trades his chicken flock's eggs to a neighbor for home-roasted coffee beans.
https://www.quora.com/profile/Alexander-Young-2
Topics:
8:41 Creativity from a seed vs from a box
18:41 Every fucking comedy trailer in the 90s used Hall of the Mountain king and it sucked and I hated it and why don't we do...
2020-03-231h 15Topic Lords21. Strip Laser TagSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Josh makes Thunk. https://www.youtube.com/user/THUNKShow
Elena is on the Topic Lords discord.
Topics:
2:29 Procrastination, or, avoidance as a protective coping mechanism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buridan%27s_ass
13:08 Newcomb's Problem
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcomb%27s_paradox
19:46 Celebrating Christmas by saying you have a machine gun
https://twitter.com/mogwai_poet/status/1210729053465931781
26:16 Kevin asks: "The fear that other podcasts will steal your idea to discuss topics."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_sleep
http://bash.org/
32:09...
2020-03-161h 07Topic Lords20. The Bowerbird's ApprenticeSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Mark's meme is https://imgur.com/a/YFTXteU plus the caption "When you get on the bus and it's rush hour and the only free space is being taken up by someone's bag."
Shirley's meme is https://imgur.com/a/9oyR7fa
Topics:
1:10 Living abroad/Third Culture Kid experience
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_culture_kid
Understanding prejudice: the Implicit Association Test. https://secure.understandingprejudice.org/iat/
11:19 Camgirl life
27:14 Why don't most animals need to learn to walk?
Bowerbird. https://en...
2020-03-091h 05Topic Lords19. A Pickled Egg ChristmasSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Jeff is an event planner at https://www.acesup.com/ and blogged at https://80isenough.wordpress.com/ back when he was unemployed.
Joe is.
Topics:
0:52 Not having time to be a geek.
10:21 Pickled egg ordering paranoia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickled_egg
20:04 This topic is mostly an excuse to ask Joe how he raised such good kids.
The Blank Slate, by Steven Pinker. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blank_Slate
33:05 Quill asks: "What sort of art did you make when...
2020-03-021h 01Topic Lords18. Yelling SweaterSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
James is working on Galapagos. https://triplefox.itch.io/galapagos
https://twitter.com/Triplefox
http://ludamix.com/
Jay is on Twitter. https://twitter.com/jaytholen
Topics:
1:38 References dating things and/or making them inaccessible. Examples: older Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes and that Winter Wonderland song where they say a snowman looks like Parson Brown. Who the heck is that??
What color is Parson Brown? https://www.datalounge.com/thread/18081042-what-color-is-parson-brown-
"What are your favorite culturally untranslatable phrases?" https://www.reddit.com/r...
2020-02-241h 00Topic Lords17. A Buzzsaw Made Of BananasSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
April is Jim's wife again and still a Beast Lord.
https://twitter.com/aprilsaur
https://www1.flightrising.com/lair/463464
John is a Mystery.
Topics:
2:25 Create a D&D character right now
Drizzt the Drow. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drizzt_Do%27Urden
Moai eyes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moai#Eyes
12:51 Being friends with people who are more than ten years older/younger than you: not weird until suddenly it is?
Teaching English in Japan. https://www.internationalteflacademy.com/teach-english-in-japan
Nova. https...
2020-02-171h 11Topic Lords16. I Don't Want To Be Skin DadSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords this week:
Tim made Jamestown and just shipped Jamestown+ on PC and Switch. http://jamestownplus.com/
Kole makes podcasts at Duckfeed. http://duckfeed.tv/
Topics:
2:42 Cat trees for humans.
Ninja Warrior. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJPP7M1hQZE
"Find an American Ninja Warrior Gym." http://www.ninjawarriorgyms.com/
7:37 Non-analytical storytelling/writing (flash writing, story time, songwriting)
Alice's Restaurant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m57gzA2JCcM
15:08 The ephemerality of AI Dungeon.
AI Dungeon: https://www.aidungeon.io/
AI Dungeon...
2020-02-101h 08Topic Lords15. More Real Than Tower RecordsSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Tyriq is working on video games including Catacomb Kids: https://fourbitfriday.itch.io/catacombkids and has a Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/FourbitFriday
Avery still made that solo album. https://averyburke.bandcamp.com/releases
Topics
5:12 Reading non-religious texts as scripture.
Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. http://www.harrypottersacredtext.com/
Orphans of the Sky. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphans_of_the_Sky
Generation Ships. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_ship
Water. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Water
Wookieepedia has...
2020-02-031h 08Topic Lords12. The Charisma And The Loneliness Of The Moth ManSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Laura Michet makes both indie games and huge megacorp games and just published a short story in Realms of Runeterra. https://leagueoflegends.fandom.com/wiki/Realms_of_Runeterra
Xalavier Nelson, Jr. is a freelance narrative director, currently making An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs. https://www.patreon.com/StrangeScaffold
Topics:
5:10 Moth Man. Discuss. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothman
The Leatherman, 10-fingered vagabond. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leatherman_(vagabond)
The Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly%E2%80%93...
2020-01-1358 minTopic Lords9. Ask The Propagated CactusSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Shannon is a time traveler and an unemployed attorney.
Alex likes oranges and drove the getaway car.
Topics:
1:29 What if people propagated like plants?
How succulents propagate: https://collectivegen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Guide-to-Propogating-Succulents-778x1608@2x.jpg
8:16 Aphantasia and technical work.
Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ): https://www.eugencpopa.ro/wp-content/uploads/Afantazia-.pdf
Alex scored 22/80.
Shannon scored 68/80
Jim scored a perfect 16/80 and needs to reevaluate his life, or maybe the test is totally subjective.
Fun fact: if you do not have...
2019-12-231h 02Topic Lords7. I Love A Good Mind PoopSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
April is a Park Ranger and a Beast Lord and Jim's wife
Ryan Ike Composer is a topic bucket at https://twitter.com/RyanIkeComposer/
Topics:
4:58 Inventing secular rituals for children
19:25 Playing a Tabletop RPG can make you a better person
33:02 Which key is most fun to jam in, on the piano?
The Strong Songs episode about "I Wish," by Stevie Wonder. http://strongsongspodcast.com/i-wish-by-stevie-wonder
"I Wish," by Stevie Wonder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYKYka-PNt0
Perfect Pitch. https://en.wikipedia...
2019-12-091h 06Topic Lords6. hotcoldman@hotcoldmail.comSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords this week:
Jenni is on Twitter as @horsewizrd and wants you to back Aaron Reed's Subcutanea: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/subcutanean-a-novel-where-each-copy-is-different#/
Chris is a social media ghost.
Topics discussed:
1:46 There are SO MANY VEGETABLES when you peek outside cultural silos. SO MANY that we don't use or know about.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha%27s_hand
8:25 Concrete pipes stacked in vacant lots becoming the warp pipe.
I Am Error, by Nathan Altice: https://mitpress.mit.edu/contributors/nathan-altice
The Surprising...
2019-12-021h 07Topic Lords3. The Screaming Man SimulatorSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Jay worked on Hypnospace Outlaw. http://www.hypnospace.net/
https://twitter.com/jaytholen
James is working on Galapagos. https://triplefox.itch.io/galapagos
https://twitter.com/Triplefox
http://ludamix.com/
Topics:
3:25 James is taking a storytelling class at City College
15:49 Propizio Chittara: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9xiOqfkKBM
20:12 Library and Production music. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Production_music
Prefab FM. https://twitter.com/PrefabFM
86 hour Spotify playlist of ~90s Production music: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1O7DMdjlJqBeAqGEVVihXD?
David...
2019-11-1151 minTopic Lords1. The Shoulderblade Is A GirlSupport Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early!
Lords:
Jenni does stuff at http://www.jennipolodna.com/
Jay worked on Hypnospace Outlaw. http://www.hypnospace.net/
Topics:
0:38 Jay is frustrated that he learned to play the ukulele rather than any other fretted instrument.
(I actually meant Super Mario Bros. 3 world 1. Here are the chords: 000x 0000 0002 0000 000x 0000 0002, then barre up to 222x, etc.)
Somewhere Over the Rainbow ukulele cover by Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I
11:16 Jenni attended a Stripper Karaoke performance. https://www.d...
2019-10-2859 min