Outside of the Box

On the precipice of Halloween, it is time for a scary good interview with one of the most colorful personalities in the STEM world - the amazing Christine "Tacos" Blandino who was a contestant on Season 3 of LEGO Masters! We talked about the long journey of making it on the show and what that experience was like as well as her passion for STEM education.

www.instagram.com/stempoweredbytacos

In the spirit of innovation and silliness, I sat down with most of the builders responsible for a surprising 30lb entry at the October NHRL event - Beetle Swarm. We talked about the concept of this project and how it all came together as well as broke down the fights in this entry's nearly qualifying run. You have to see this one to believe it!

We've (sort of) seen this fish before, but Chaunacops tore it up at NHRL in completely epic fashion - swimming through the deadly ocean of robots and winning the Golden Dumpster! I talked to builder Luke Larzelere about his amazing run and working with Remy and Rachel Guzman to make it happen. Check out this amazing discussion as we break down all of the bracket fights!

Inspired by the comeback of The Mummy franchise, join us on an adventure featuring a team of knowledge and treasure seekers who may have bit off more than they can handle. This game features a heavily modified version of Scholars, Scoundrels and Saddlebacks by the amazing Omar Najam. Watch as this team of smarties, snakes and swashbucklers do their best to stay alive inside of an increasingly dangerous tomb. Will anyone beat the odds and survive?

Players: Giraffa, Joey, Dora, Ange, Nari & No One

On this episode, I spoke with some amazing makers and artists within the world of cosplay about how cosplay has many STEM applications and promotes innovation and creativity. My guests were creators Nerdy Blasian Cosplays, Sayakat Cosplay and Renna Cosplay who have all produced some amazing and whimsical creations. We delve into each of their journeys in this episode and why making it so important to them.

You can check these creators out on social media: @nerdyblasiancosplays @sayakatcosplay @rennacosplay

In an episode all about chasing your dreams and building a community, I talked with Banzainator - an amazing Twitch streamer and content creator who has built TWO PCs herself. We talked about taking the leap to pursue her passions full time, her love for her community and future goals both inside and outside of streaming.

Check out https://www.twitch.tv/banzainator

If you are ready for more bot talk - you're in the right place! Join me as I recap the last couple episodes of Round 2 and the beginning of Round 3 for Pro League. The fights are just getting better and better! Who will be out? Who will lock in their spot? I'll break it all down for you!

It is once again time to chat about STEM education and highlight some folks who are making big moves to provide the youth of New York City with a pathway to STEM. In this episode I chat with the Principal of the Middle School of Innovation and Keith Tam of Tam Robotics, whose son is a student. This is a great discussion on the broader need for young people to learn STEM skills as well as all of the wonderful programs happening at the school.

Special shout out to sponsors through Tam Robotics - Turnabot and Repeat Robotics!

Calling all lovers of TTRPG and board games - join me for my recap of GenCon 2026 with Indy local and valued member of the TTRPG community - CritHitTheGiant! We sat down and talked about GenCon as an experience, our favorite things about the Con this year and tips for newcomers. There is something for everyone in this episode!

Check out Sean's website at https://crithitthegiant.com/

Time for a crazy fun episode of Outside of the Box as I sat down with the Team Spectra - a new superteam within combat robotics made up of a group of friends who compete at NHRL and other local competitions. They talk about how the team was formed, a deeper dive into each of their builds and how they may already be a dominant force at NHRL with the upcoming Pro Tour event. Strap in for one wild episode!

Check out Team Spectra at https://www.youtube.com/@UCSImEfuL_YPu-weVGbLsC-g