Nerds Amalgamated

Disco Elysium is a famous game for very good reasons. But when it comes to creating a sequel, there are now five companies all claiming to be working on a spiritual successor, all with part of the original team. And they're all suing each other. Get your popcorn.

Ben Affleck (Batman) and Hirohiko Araki (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) have both come forwards to complain about AI. The future of their industries is at risk, after all, so they have some personal stake in the matter.

Rats enjoy driving cars. When given the option to take a car or walk to a treat, even though the road is longer, the rats will gladly hop into their vehicles and zoom off to the supermarket. Hmm, just like humans.

Drama Elysium

- The Wild Story Behind Disco Elysium’s Spiritual Successors: Allegations, Legal Threats, and a USB Stick - IGN 

A.I. Concerns in movies and manga

- Ben Affleck Says Movies ‘Will Be One of the Last Things Replaced by AI,’ and Even That’s Unlikely to Happen: ‘AI Is a Craftsman at Best’ 

- 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' Creator Hirohiko Araki Express Concern Regarding AI's Effect On Manga: "We're Going To See An Increasingly Shady World Filled With Scammers Exploiting It" - Bounding Into Comics 

Rats driving cars

- I’m a neuroscientist who taught rats to drive − their joy suggests how anticipating fun can enrich human life 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eAxmrTUth73GjS2jLhTX2pPqMzV1gUmEs_M81dIAEwY/edit?usp=sharing

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Reuploaded due to Spotify sync issues

Australia's proposed social media ban is very broad and will likely affect gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite. We discuss the impact on the gaming industry if this comes into effect.

Disney announced new Star Wars movies, then almost immediately cancelled one of them. What are they doing? Does anyone there have any idea what to do? Probably not.

Track your farts for science. Really. CSIRO have launched a citizen science initiative to track how often and how badly you fart to investigate gut health. Science is amazing.

Social media ban affecting gamers

- The government plans to ban under-16s from social media platforms. Here's what we know so far - ABC News 

The Future of Star Wars

- Disney Turns To Rey To Lead 'Star Wars' Movies With Everyone Else Dead 

Community farting

- ‘Chart your fart’: Calling Aussies to track flatulence for science - CSIRO 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1udGFB4mm0gxbDvFa344Xf930m5FbHwSxyRIJmk61n-Q/edit?usp=sharing

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This week we went to Supanova 100. We'll discuss our favorite panels, some great sights and of course the best cosplays.

Brisbane Supanova 2024

– Event Home - Supanova Comic Con & Gaming

 Shane Syddall from Comics Network Australia (ComX)

– Comics Network Australia

– Shane Syddall | Comics Network Australia  

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tdeHIlAmUYvngQu4K5j3NJBvACToANCafjd7H0bV0DI/edit?usp=sharing

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Call of Duty Black Ops 6 has a new pay to win audio tier using customised Head Related Transfer Functions. Cool tech, but what isn't cool is allowing some players who can afford a subscription to have a gameplay advantage.

Netflix are saving the Anime industry by... *checks notes* paying the animators a fair wage. This utterly insane idea will hopefully lead the industry in a better direction, away from child labour and exploitative practices.

Aureispira bacteria have been witnessed using grappling hooks and cannons to hunt unsuspecting prey. This pirates of the microscopic world scenario could lead to interesting nanobot technology.

COD Black Ops 6 new tier…enhanced headphone mode

- What exactly is up with Black Ops 6's 'Enhanced Headphone Mode' and its $20 paid tier | PC Gamer 

Netflix is saving anime

- Netflix Reveals How It's Helping Save the Anime Industry in Massive New Report 

Bacteria Pirate AHOY

- Microscopic pirates attack with cellular cannons and grappling hooks 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hg0UI_Up_OHHLvAm0TE6A3dIAiX2B5XByJxjCS3VFX8/edit?usp=sharing

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A minor actor has had his identity used to create Venezuelan propaganda. He's not too happy about that, and hopes the unions will be able to prevent this in the future.

Playstation have spent ten years suing a company for making hacks for their games, and they just lost. While this might lead to a proliferation of cheaters, we're more excited about the legal protection for modding.

The Tasmanian Tiger has been extinct for less than a hundred years, and an American company reckon they can bring it back to life. DJ is worried about a Jurassic Park situation. Also, that mini moon we spoke about last week might actually be a good place to mine.

AI Avatar

-- ‘Prometheus’ Actor Warns Against AI Avatars After He Says Face Used For Venezuelan Propaganda 

Playstation Parasite mods

-- PlayStation loses fight in EU courts to stop sale of 'parasite' mods because, among other reasons, a book author can't stop 'the reader from skipping to the end' | PC Gamer 

Bringing back the dead through the power of SCIENCE & mini moon update

-- Colossal Biosciences behind thylacine de-extinction effort announces genome progress, but others call for peer review - ABC News 

-- Earth’s New Mini-Moon is Sign of Tremendous Potential for Space Mining, Scientists Say | Sci.News 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mrPq3o38qfSneeVTt7B03l8jDeUAf4oyhg-CqdyvwUI/edit?usp=sharing

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The Nobel Prizes for 2024 have been awarded. AI. AI everywhere...

A study has attempted to estimate the actual cost of game piracy for developers who use Denuvo DRM. Is it really worth using on games?

Hollywood has changed a lot in the last few decades with the rise of streaming. Some insiders have concerns about its ability to adapt.

Nobel Prize 2024 Winners

- Nobel Prize 2024: All the Winners | TIME 

Game Piracy and its costs

- The true cost of game piracy: 20 percent of revenue, according to a new study - Ars Technica 

Industry Veterans question Hollywood’s direction

- Industry Veteran Jeff Sagansky Rebukes Hollywood Studios for Decisions Leading to ‘Unbelievable Cataclysm in the Business’ 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1969WJIcl-T2aR8Imo9wCC5SpEVE8X9IGvUL2QHsbJlc/edit?usp=sharing

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EA have announced that they aren't working on The Sims 5 after a decade. Instead, they're farming out future content releases to the fans. Is this a sign of EA's laziness or is it the right move?

Toxic fans ruin everything. Fortunately, studios are developing techniques for protecting actors and fans from their actions.

A recently discovered bacteria eats plastic. Yay. Also not yay. Can it cause a grey goo scenario? We hope not.

The future of The Sims

-- EA turns to the fans to keep The Sims relevant | GamesIndustry.biz 

Hollywood vs Toxic fandom

-- Toxic Fandom: How Hollywood Is Battling Fans Who Are ‘Just Out for Blood’ — From Social Media Boot Camps to Superfan Focus Groups 

Wastewater bacteria can now eat plastics

-- Wastewater bacteria can breakdown plastic for food 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pn16eNBRkHN3VIxJdAnmkicEAtP5Xk-5VN5O4YtI7aY/edit?usp=sharing

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Steam has once again broken their record for most concurrent users online. So where are all these new users coming from? What do they want? What does this mean for the future of Steam?

OpenAI is being sued for copyright infringement. If they lose it could mean the end of the existing LLM AI hype.

For the next few months Earth will have a new moon too small to see with the naked eye. Well maybe you can see it if you squint a bit.

Newly released steam player counts

-- https://x.com/tomwarren/status/1837858638620176459 

The People vs OpenAI

-- OpenAI Training Data to Be Inspected in Authors' Copyright Cases 

The Mini Moon

-- 'Mini Moon' to orbit Earth for two months 

-- A Two-month Mini-moon: 2024 PT5 Captured by Earth from September to November - IOPscience 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/15G9fdZgI5cZjUx8-GNT56HtCU9yr587jZjsa8tcbDW0/edit?usp=sharing

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Australia has now brought in an R18 rating for games featuring gambling. We discuss the merits behind this change and whether it will really protect the children from gambling addictions.

Lionsgate have decided to use AI to create AI generated "augmentations" to their films. We go deep on deep fakes, and appropriate usage of AI.

New research explains how sleep resets your brain and prepares it for learning more the next day. So learn how science might help you reach your full potential by sleeping more.

New changes to Australian gaming

- Australia introduces new "mandatory classifications" for games with "gambling-like" content | GamesIndustry.biz 

Lionsgate now with A.i.

- Lionsgate partners with AI firm to train generative model on film and TV library | Movies | The Guardian 

Sleep resets everything

- Scientists discover sleep "reset" mechanism in the brain that prevents memory overload 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c-fnwq6Ql6OoeGXyuR3G05sPw9mktWURKf79JuWi2r4/edit?usp=sharing

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A New Nerd Approaches and his name is Phoenix

If you own the game Oxenfree through Itch.io, you're about to lose access to it. The Netflix owned games studio is pulling the game from storefronts and libraries, leaving nothing in its wake. This time, even if you own it, you won't be able to download it. This should be completely unacceptable, so how do we fight back?

Disney didn't have the rights to use Peter Cushing's likeness in Rogue One, and they're being sued about it. We discuss IP law and the right someone has to their own face.

Gene editing is a new technology that could allow us to create new and improved forms of existing animals and plants that are more resilient to climate change and disease. Is this the solution to all our problems?

Oxenfree erasure

- Another reminder that your digital library isn't forever: Oxenfree will be completely removed from Itch.io next month | PC Gamer 

Another Disney Lawsuit

- After UK Judge Denies Disney's Attempt To Dismiss, Lawsuit Alleging Peter Cushing's Likeness Was Used Without Permission In 'Rogue One' Headed To Trial - Bounding Into Comics 

Gene editing and its results

- The great gene editing debate: can it be safe and ethical? 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R7NG58u84Zs-JY8elnxilRD2sJfbq5LLmuPuFqIJjEA/edit?usp=sharing

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