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Some languages evolve from other languages, like the romance languages growing out of Latin. And some languages are constructed by humans. These conlangs as they’re called are made for lots of purposes, from fleshing out the history of a thousand-page fantasy novel to allowing people a better way to communicate across cultures. Join Em and Dr. Jesse as they look at some examples, from Hildegard von Bingem’s Lingua Ignota to emojis.

[ Full Show Notes ]

The post 104. All Languages Are Made Up, But Some Are More Made Up Than Others first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Everyone, who’s YOUR favourite Tim? If you said Tim Russ, then THIS is the show for you as Casual Trek goes ‘Tim Time’ with three episodes featuring Tim Russ (including two of his Star Trek bit parts before landing the role of Tuvok in Voyager!)

The first episode is ‘Starship Mine’ where Patrick Stewart (RIP) gets to go Full-JL when a Die-Hard takes place on the Enterprise while everyone else in the case has to deal with small talk, blink and you might miss Tim Russ, then in DS9’s ‘Invasive Procedures,’ Tim Russ plays a Klingon has part of a team ready to help a Trill Incel do a classic Symbiote-Heist on Dax and it almost goes Die-Hard and then finally, in Voyager’s ‘Riddles,’ we get to see Tim Russ as Tuvok undergo a shocking transformation… actually liking Neelix!

Episodes discussed: Starship Mine (15:09) Invasive Procedures (47:34) and Riddles (01:17:44)

Topics Discussed: The novels of Shirley Jackson, Superpocket Evercade, Pong- better or worse than Elden Ring, is Data just making fun of Hutch, Hutch is unmourned, TNG is far more cavalier than Red Shirt deaths than TOS, the many murders of Jean-Luc Picard, how are the makers of Die Hard NOT suing? Patrick Stewart wanting to be an action hero, Picard definitely shot a guy in the dick, superheroes who are cavalier about murder, who would be the best and worst at a Die Hard? Mariah Carey, Paramount’s boring ads, Trill Incels, this almost counts as a Patricia Tallman themed episode, Tim does Good Klingon, the DS9 Crew would be great doing a Die Hard, is this the first time we get some Bald Sisko atittude? Charlie is obsessed with Picard’s saddle, do you think there’s a new replicator smell? Best O-Face in all of TV? If we wrote Star Trek, the Dax symbiote would be an Eraserhead baby, Charlie! Riddle Time! Ethan Phillips once again something to work with, Roxann Dawson’s first directed episode, Tuvok has definatly threatened legal action in case Tuvix is mentioned, Harry Kim’s best day, has there ever been a multiversal incarnation of Cyclops for whom life has never sucked?Pedants Corner: The Poddington Peas was a British cartoon about sentient peas who lived in the garden, what’s that about the British not being well? 80s UK Arcade Machines took 10p or 20p coins for the most part.

SPECIAL NOTE: We don’t talk about the sad news regarding Walter Koenig or Patrick Stewart as we’ve recorded quite a way ahead of time. We’ll be covering them in the near future.

[ Additional Show Notes ]

Music by Alfred Etheridge-Nunn. Read Miles’s blog or Charlie’s blog.

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The post 104: Tim Russ – It’s Tim Time! first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

On the show I’ve talked a lot about witchcraft in fiction over the years. But as I’m also an author of urban fantasy novels, I thought it might be interesting to talk about it from the creative end — how I think about writing witchcraft in fiction as a witch in real life. And since I thought it would be weird to just talk about it on my own, I’ve decided to make it double-weird by inviting author of Dionysus in Wisconsin and co-host of Ask a Medievalist E.H. Lupton onto the show to talk about it with me!

So on this one hundredth episode of the show, enjoy the chaos when two writers from Wisconsin talk about writing magic in fiction.

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Music: “The Man With One Eye,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn) / Random Loops (Apple Music Library)

The post 100. Writing Witchcraft (with E.H. Lupton) first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

In the second part of our tour of geoglyphs, Em and Dr Jesse examine the Nazca lines in Peru. One of the best known large-scale features of the Americas, they are also one of the most mysterious, at least in the popular imagination. Join us as we discuss who built them, and some theories about why.

[ Full Show Notes ]

The post 103. Was it Aliens? No. first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Here’s a cut conversation from a previous episode, where Charlie provides an update on his Mario Quest and talks about the current run of 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Megazine.

[ Additional Show Notes ]

Music by Alfred Etheridge-Nunn. Read Miles’s blog or Charlie’s blog.

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The post Casual Tangent – Charlie Wears a Mario Hat and Talks 2000 AD first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

It’s time to re-enter the Mirror Universe and see what campy nonsense they’ve been getting up to!

In a Mirror Darkly shows you how a betrayal-based society managed to keep going for as long as they did… by having several mutinies and finding an alternate future spaceship to loot! Many midriffs are exposed, Tholians are tortured and Scott Bakula desperately makes you want to think he’s evil.

Then we journey with Ben Sisko Through the Looking Glass, where he’s got to pretend to be a merry pirate in order to stop his alternate universe wife from being a centrist! He also punches one alternate staff member in the head and sleeps with another, just for good measure.

What Non-Star Trek Thing We’ve Been Enjoying: The Prisoner & The Most Upsetting Guessing Game in the World

Timecodes:

Talking points include: Age of X-Man, yes Blake’s 7 again, The Prisoner, Miles & Reanna’s 14th anniversary, Aunty Donna, The Most Upsetting Guessing Game in the World, sluts, 50 Cent’s in Jim Steinman’s Mansion, Charlie has no time for Peter Kay, the Amarillo music video noncewatch, a mutiny-based drinking game, did you see this shit Chris Claremont?, Phlox is the Hank McCoy of Star Trek, fascism is a loser ideology, The OC’s alternate universe episode, the final season of Enterprise doing what the last two seasons of Strange New Worlds is doing, Jack Russells, the most 1995 songs, Millennium Vs Willennium, Centrist Jennifer Sisko, Malibu Comics’ Night Man, Mirror Sisko is a Merry Man, voles on DS9, Oh, and occasionally Star Trek.

Next episode, it’s all about Tim Russ!

[ Additional Show Notes ]

Music by Alfred Etheridge-Nunn. Read Miles’s blog or Charlie’s blog.

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The post 103. Mirror Universe Episodes – Scott Bakula Tries to Be Evil first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Geoglyphs are a worldwide artistic phenomenon. The earliest ones are prehistoric. Join Em and Dr. Jesse as they look at the origins of two well-known geoglyphs in the UK.

[ Full Show Notes ]

The post 102. Chalk It to Me first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Time to take down the crab lab! For funsies!

(Stormwood & Associates will be taking a brief hiatus after this episode so we can release the sixth season of The Meatgrinder)

“Stormwood & Associates” uses the RPG system Super Awesome Action Heroes Second Edition with the optional Fantasy expansion and Advanced Combat Rules. View Archives and Subscription Options

The post C3E39. Aunt Flagent Skewdafort (Feeling Crabby Part 10) first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

Are you ready to rock?

Well we are and so is Star Trek, with three episodes that feature guest acting turns from musicians. In ‘Manhunt,’ Lwaxana Troi returns while Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac stands in the corner as a giant fish alien.

After that, we’re putting a team together in ‘The Magnificent Ferengi’ as Quark, Rom and Nog must rescue Moogie from Iggy Pop and in ‘The Good Shepard,’ Janeway rails against workplace inefficiency and if you blink and miss him, Tom Morello isn’t Raging Against the Machine but instead is a good Starfleet crew member. Good night, listeners, there will be no encore!

Timecodes:

Talking Points include: Coyote vs. Acme, The Backrooms (Charlie Etheridge-Nunn Edition), Miles floats the idea of a Pingu-themed coffee bar, Soul 2 Soul, Miles has strong opinions on the noir inspirations of Dixon Hill, Fleetwood Mac, we were not expecting Worf to point out Wesley’s casual racism, more a comedy of manners (in which Picard has too many and Lwaxana has none) the fish people are very 80s Doctor Who, Lwaxana Troi is far less irritating here, Riker’s shit eating grin, Iggy Pop, Moogie’s going to bring the Dominion, we want to know more about Lekk, Higher Quality Buffoonery, Rom’s finally killed someone but don’t worry, he’s easily distracted by shiny objects, they love a weird gong in Star Trek, there’s a theme here with Charlie’s history of music being related to Rock Band, what happens to the people who wash out at Starfleet? The conversation about diversity hires is sadly very different than when this episode came out, don’t lick the Warp Core, the Window that doesn’t exist, Miles goes on a tired about the American Work Ethic and the phrase ‘If you don’t like your job, just leave,’ mental health on Voyager probably sucks more than usual, hating on the shorthand in fiction that hypochondria is code for ‘neurotic loser,’ is this the most conservative episode of Star Trek not featuring black-face? Miles’ former RS and form master at school Mr. Hickman – RIP Legend.

[ Additional Show Notes ]

Music by Alfred Etheridge-Nunn. Read Miles’s blog or Charlie’s blog.

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The post 102. Star Trek Rockstar Cameos: Weekend at Keevan’s first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.

It’s time to tell the client what the team’s found. And what the team’s found is weird as heck.

“Stormwood & Associates” uses the RPG system Super Awesome Action Heroes Second Edition with the optional Fantasy expansion and Advanced Combat Rules. View Archives and Subscription Options

The post C3E38. Plantish Fortitude (Feeling Crabby Part 9) first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.