Jake

Oh man I knew it was from pretty close after the Kickstarter (which was ep 65). That’s one of the heaviest hitting episodes from that fresh-back-from-the-dead era imo.

Yay I’m so happy Tone Control is back! (Also people should be able to reply to threads in here again, sorry about that.)

Important If True 16: The Pizza, the Bee, and the Trash Can We cannot sanction your buffoonery. But we can, and will, personally hand-deliver your questions to Lord Hoistmas. Questions like: What is the true secret of the real 90s? How do you cleverly cover up an regrettable tattoo? And would you eat the best pizza you've ever had in your life if it came with bees? Send us email at questions@importantiftrue.com. If you enjoyed this and would like to subscribe to an ad-free feed, please consider supporting Idle Thumbs by backing our Patreon. Discussed: The Real Ghostbusters, good web addresses, Amazon bookstores, Boss Coffee, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, trash can robots, Sony Bravia ad, Google Home/Blade Runner 2049 mashup, techno-seniors, tattoos, a history of the Peeing Calvin, crisper, CRISPR, Lord Hoistmas, pizza, bees Chris' Endorsement: Shoe care products: saddle soap for cleaning, Saphir Renovateur for treating and polishing (usage tips) Nick's Endorsement: Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (Amazon, YouTube) Jake's Endorsement: Learning about the interoperability of the multimedia devices in your home Sponsored By: Quip electric toothbrushes, Casper mattresses Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Idle Thumbs 313: Takeless Jake This episode is an artifact of a simpler time. Buried in the ground for mere days, when you excavate it now, you barely understand what is discussed. "Why aren't they talking about the new Mario game for half this episode?" you wonder, your brain unable to see what is right before you. Eventually, you settle in and enjoy what you have and are a better person for it, but only because you listen to the episode while playing Mario. Discussed: the past, Cuphead, Battlestar Galactica Deadlock, Super Mario Odyssey, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, video game curricula, [Half-Life 2:] Epistle 3, Marc Laidlaw, Mike Laidlaw, Laidlaw & Laidlaw, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Important If True 37: Uncharacteristically Cursed We're not sure what your friend told you when they handed you this podcast, but you might not want to press play. Not because it's bad or something (we're pretty proud of it actually), but because, let's just say, it's incredibly cursed. If you dare listen, it may not turn out well for you in the long term. That said, no risk is without its rewards. In this case, you can listen to us puzzle through some crucial questions of the ages, like: Is Walt Whitman alive? Who is the Ketchup King, and why do they remind us of a trip to work with dad? And, will a bittersweet Facebook video solve the mystery of who killed you? Find out quickly; if you got this far you probably don't have much time left. Discussed: Loving my coffee mug, hating Mondays, cursed videotapes, detailed newspaper coverage of Walt Whitman's decline, no hope for Walt Whitman, an unfavorable turn in the condition of Walt Whitman, Walt Whitman about the same, the Walt Whitman beat, generated Facebook videos of your memories, generated Facebook memories algorithmically predicting your future death, obscene food combinations, peanut butter/jelly/ketchup sandwiches, "I Am The Ketchup King (and the Ketchup King Likes You Very Much)," overwhelming sensory experiences destroying good things, The Year I Hated Ketchup, the nerdy version of teenage awkwardness manifesting itself in incredibly self-destructive ways, drinking vinegar, Vine, "Share Your Curse Online," inevitable future CW or BBC crime shows in which algorithmic Facebook video montages are crucial clues, Happy Valley (Netflix, BBC), seemingly normal things that may be death in disguise, the powerful and seductive fantasy of throwing your keys or phone into a storm drain, the horrifying reality of watching your keys fall into a tiny crack in the ground, The Aviator Send us your questions to questions@importantiftrue.com. If you enjoyed this and would like to subscribe to an ad-free feed, please consider supporting Idle Thumbs by backing our Patreon. Chris' Endorsement: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) (Amazon, iTunes) Chris' Subendorsement: Someone who thinks the framework for this endorsement is pathetic. Chris' Sub-Subendorsement: La Mer, performed by Julio Iglesias (YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, iTunes) Nick's Endorsement: Too Funny To Fail (Hulu) Jake's Endorsement: The Pacifica Taco Bell (Business Insider article about Pacifica Taco Bell) Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

The Lonely Island guys are another big example of online --> TV.

Oh weird okay. I'm half way through.

I'm confused by people saying the book declares the timeline has changed re: Laura's fate. Somewhere in the first half of the book it talks about Leland being arrested for the murder of his daughter. Doesn't that pretty specifically indicate the timeline did NOT change? Did I misread that passage?

It was mostly the desert that felt really sparse to me. I'm in New Donk at this point and that density issue feels moot.

It's almost all writing this time. It'd work perfectly well as a kindle book.

Yeah I like it fine. I rarely get overhyped these days but I think I was definitely overhyped on this game. It's a good 3D Mario, I'm glad to get the Sunshine-style explorable worlds back, but it doesn't quite feel dense enough for me or something? (I just got to Lost Kingdom and that area is where things have started to pick up for me a bit, which is good). I think it ranks below Sunshine, Galaxy, an 3D World for me still though. Maybe that will change the farther in I get.

Important If True 35: Hammacher, Schlemmer, and You When we walked into your living room, and our eyes fell on your fine imported Brazilian Eucalyptis Coffee Table With Integrated Aquarium, we couldn't help but notice that the smartphone, tablet, or other in-home electronic device that signifies your wealth and worldliness was left open to Important If True. "How captivating you must be," we thought, as we leafed through the episode and wondered which of life's biggest conundrums you'd be puzzling through with us, what advice you sought and hoped we'd help answer. Things like: Is a mirror really a reflection of ourselves if it only works when we smile? Do strangers offer helpful advice so they can live on in your memories? And, how do you tie a shoe so it really stays on there? Impressed with your taste, depth, and apparent largess, we buy ourselves a seven million dollar replica Wild West town with your credit card before you notice. Discussed: Shaq feeling Twitterers around him, defunct online service GEnie, putting in contact lenses, remembering strangers, being a memorable stranger, WikiHow: How to Take Out Contact Lenses Without Touching Your Eye, mirror that only works when you smile, coercive smile-based compensation at customer service jobs, tying your shoes like a square knot instead of a granny knot, Every Time I Tie My Shoes: A Novel, Every Time I Tie My Shoes: Short Fiction, Caldecott Medal-winning children's book Every Time I Tie My Shoes, Hammacher Schlemmer, The Sharper Image, Brookstone, Amphibious Sub-Surface Watercraft ($300,000), 23-Acre Wild West Town Amusement Park ($7,000,000), Genuine 7 Foot Robby the Robot ($32,000), a lot more stupid shit from Hammacher Schlemmer that I'm not going to list all of, what kind of '80s you are, "'Big' or Murderer?", one second a day video made while staring into a smile mirror, Hammacher Schlemmer hoarder house, $30,000 $15,000 Important If True podcast appearance, Zoltar fortune telling machine, The Gotham Golfcart, the shitty Hefner fantasy of Hammacher Schlemmer, weird old early 20th-century aspirational status objects, "Be the New Schlemmer" marketing campaign, J Peterman (catalogue), J Peterman (Seinfeld character), ridiculous strategies to profit on the back of the inane 17-hour time-delay ghost concept from last week's episode, tattooing your naked ghost, the complex path of the Earth through the infinite universe Send us your questions at questions@importantiftrue.com. If you enjoyed this and would like to subscribe to an ad-free feed, please consider supporting Idle Thumbs by backing our Patreon. Jake's Endorsement: The Idle Thumbs telling of the epic saga of the Team Fortress 2 virtual hat economy, as supplied by CaptainInvictus Chris' Endorsement: Instant Pot automated pressure cooker and J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's pressure cooker beef stew recipe–and excellent New York Times recipe author Melissa Clark has a detailed Instant Pot guide and a new Instant Pot cookbook Nick's Endorsement: Doing a good old-fashioned jigsaw puzzle, like the Nick-approved Disneyland map jigsaw puzzle or Pixar: The Artist's Desk jigsaw puzzle Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

I know. Square VS granny is the most known version of that concept even though it's not technically the same as the bow you tie on a shoelace. I didn't mean to be dismissive of this excellent link btw. Sorry if I was.

They will have to be realllly careful if they do that. The moment they tried to break out this year, it was like being dunked into an ice bucket filled with the worst of Heroes and Orphan Black.

It's interesting but not entirely related to what I was talking about, which is to make sure your base knot and the bow are tied in opposite directions, so the overall shape is that of a square knot. You could do that fast tie like the gif and still get the base VS bow directions wrong.

Its a little more dumb in this case since the character is quoting a movie that, in the show's timeline, hasn't come out yet. (I don't think that character is written or performed like they know they're quoting a movie, either, which makes it more forgivable for me if still a little dumb. It feels in line with the Jurassic Park power-on sequence later in the season - as an audience we know exactly what we're looking at and know that it's from a movie ten years later, but the characters have no idea they're inside of that.) Both seasons of Stranger Things I ended up liking and watching for the characters and their quirky human moments as they bounce off each other, while being frustrated by the pastiche filled plotting. The characters deserve a better plot than the one they're in. I agree that season two has a bit more of its own voice than season one, but I think that also means you notice it more when it falls into a reference hole. I was glad they challenged themselves to try something different, but most of those new characters felt totally flat, the world felt fake and unbelievable, even the look of the show (which is otherwise beautifully and precisely shot in my opinion) took a hit, their attempt at wet neon 80s coming across more like a Netflix Marvel show than something genuinely of that time like The Warriors or The Lost Boys. Ultimately I had a fun weekend watching the show, and liked it more than season one, but it had most all of the same shortcomings and that (coupled with my suspicion that we'll see more of those flat Chicago characters) makes me less excited for the third season.

Whoa I missed this post backbin the summer. That rules! You did good work! The visual design of MST The Return was spot on. It felt a pinch more cohesive and directed than the original did, but not in a way that got in the way of the hand-built feeling of the construction. Have you shared any of your work now that the shows out there? Unrelated, this news made me really happy: https://mobile.twitter.com/BillCorbett/status/923577881950932994 When it was revealed by Bill a few years ago that none of the old cast/crew got residuals that was really dispiriting. I felt like I had to work a little bit harder to get psyched up and enjoy the show, to compensate for feeling bummed out that the old cast all felt screwed. So seeing that series of new posts indicating they're getting compensated, especially specifically seeing Joel called out by name, was both a comfort and relief.

Idle Thumbs 312: Hashtag Nick Nod It's like he can see you, the little face in the corner of your screen. Your cursor hovers over a unit you think looks cool - a little plastic orb car you bet you'd have fun riding around in if this wasn't a game - and he frowns. Correction: He looks you in the eye, and frowns. He sighs. "You're going to pick that? Really that one?" You roll your cursor over a few others and he holds his breath, clearly not wanting to say whatever he's thinking about your choices, because they're clearly not nice. Finally, you scroll a few pages back in the build list and come across a fancy visitor's center, some brightly colored automated safari vehicles, and accompanying tour track. You watch him for any reaction, and it happens so quickly, so subtly, you barely notice it, but it was there: a quick bob of the head, an affirmative. You drag the units onto the map, arrange them in a pleasant way, and are immediately killed by a dinosaur then swept away by an unprecedented tropical storm. Discussed: Heat Signature, nightmarish self-imposed social media torture channel, StarCraft II, nightmarish multiplayer voice chat, ninth anniversary of the Idle Thumbs Podcast, Heat Signature launch trailer, Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy announcement trailer, infomercial-like Rockstar Games trailers, Red Dead Redemption 2, Thimbleweed Park, Jurassic World Evolution, hypothetical Jurassic Park Tycoon game, one B.D. Wong unit, the duty of a game to communicate its full systemic depth Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

I don't care if its an origin story or not, but I care that that character grapples with those issues. He's the kid in the MCU, he's the one who shouldn't be hardened and have his mind made up. It shouldn't matter if aliens have invaded or not, doesn't matter his relative Power Level compared to other characters -- what is he going to do with the power he has? That doesn't matter if its day one or day one thousand into his existence as that character. I found it weird that that conflict didn't weigh on him AT ALL. I found his actual motivations and arc really uninteresting even though scene by scene the movie was really fun.

I'm going to guess that A. it is broadly known at this point and B. it mostly just ruined it for Nick, not everyone. But I also want to know it now!

Found it really weird that "with great power comes great responsibility" wasn't a theme at all. "Being Spider-Man is just really cool, actually. All the problems come from not getting to tell people you're cool," seemed more what it was about, at no real cost to our hero. Olly Moss suggested at one point that the best way to write Tony Stark out of the MCU is to have him deliver the Uncle Ben advice to Spider-Man before he goes, and now that's all I want and know I won't get. I liked the movie fine though. Like most MCU stuff it has a lot of really intriguing or thrilling or fun scenes but ultimately isn't about anything really.

Idle Thumbs 311: Tactical Gamer Chair You sit down, strap yourself in, and wait for the feels. You turn a knob until the bass integrated into the back of the seat starts to thrum and buzz. "Ah, I can feel that for sure," you say aloud to no one. Your mouth turns down at the side, half a frown, as you look through your options. The hosts said they recorded this a while ago, but you think they might have been too kind. On the screen: A collection of lost games for an 8-bit console. A new video game console called the "Xbox One X." A... new... 2D Sonic the Hedgehog. Suddenly the thrum is not just in your back, but everywhere. The hum unbearable, you swat at your gamer harness, but the five point lock holds you strong. The hum is everything, everywhere. "What year is this?!" you scream out into the night street, before it all goes black. Discussed: UFO 50, Tacoma, Steve Gaynor's stupid websites, Xbox One X, Xbox One X box (1), Subsurface Circular, StarCraft Remastered, buying a house with the money you saved by not buying avocados and instead saving 20% on flowers you millennial idiot, sugar-free shit-inducing gummy bears, stuff moms hate, tactical gamer chair, Sonic Mania, Sonic depression, deformable terrain, Myth, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pyre, UI polish, game spectator views, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Salty Bet, MUGEN, Deceit (Steam game), Bungie, Battle.net, Japanese video games Sponsored by: Squarespace one-stop website creator with the offer code THUMBS, ProFlowers flower delivery with the offer code THUMBS Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Important If True 33: The Meme Scream AAAAAAaahhhHHGHhggg! Oh, excuse us, that was just our podcasting equipment warming up. When you taste something gross, what compels you to tell your friend to try it? Or worse, to keep eating it? If we hear someone has wished for something, why the compulsion to wish it away? If something great is on TV, why violate it? In short: Why do we do things we know are bad for us? If we knew, we wouldn't be here. Join us! Discussed: the trash kids love to eat, Jake's dark compulsion, Jake's twisted perverted self-flagellation, Jelly Belly Gourmet Candy Corn, the gross taste more cleanly, Philip K. Dick's "A Gross Taste Cleanly," off-brand candy bars, Jokerz, beef gelatin, vegan Tylenol, saving animal fats in a jar, existential meme crises, 11:11 wishes, Nick getting his wish, casting wishes by tossing change into bodies of water, wish inflation, nickel poisoning...?, meme forensics, violators and snipes, surprising truth in industry jargon, Important If True Home Violator Kit, Nick's dreams, the Dean Scream, 45 human brains unearthed in Spain, 45brains.online, saponification, the tragic loop of time travel, throwing our brains in the trash, unprestigious awards, bowling for babies, trophies for millennials, parents collecting wine corks and restaurant matchbooks, childhood failure Send us your questions at questions@importantiftrue.com. If you enjoyed this and would like to subscribe to an ad-free feed, please consider supporting Idle Thumbs by backing our Patreon. Chris' Endorsement: Frank Lantz's fractal-like browser game Universal Paperclips Jake's Endorsement: Barbie Trashes Her Dreamhouse art project photo set Nick's Endorsement: Fairfax Breakfast Sandwich, a very healthy choice Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Primer is also very different than a recording of yourself that only you can see. I saw Primer and like it but it didn't apply, to my mind, in this context, which I think is a lot closer to rewatching just your life on tape delay. People looking for a weird and overwhelming time travel movie should watch Primer though.

Important If True 32: A Wish Upon a Star Your dreams have come true, assuming you dream of a podcast in which we do our best to work through the world's biggest questions, starting with these: Why are twentysomething Canadian robots putting septuagenarian Canadian humans out of work? Is Google Street View less creepy or more creepy if you're the one taking the photos? And, when Clifford got big we know it came from love, but was that love tainted by science gone wrong, or the touch of some malevolent wizard? These truths and more will be revealed, before you wake up and forget it ever happened. Discussed: correcting a mistake, babysitting yourself at Disneyland, externalized self-loathing, wishing upon a star, nightmares, CBC mail robot retirement, anthropomorphizing lovable dumb box robots over insidiously friendly human-like robots, cats' preference for humans over food, helping out your retiring mail robot buddy, boss robot, forcibly retiring your boss, The Count of Monte Cristo of Mail Robot Retirement Revenge, The Ship of Theseus, The Mom of Theseus, ostensible democratization of Google Street View, Google Street View camera hidden inside a teddy bear, long-term Google Street View gaslighting campaign, the world's largest and most popular website: Google.com, pulling off some sick moves as you surf down the slippery slope, scorning your past selves, "It Was a Very Good Year," just pushing the button, chitinous hide, Short & Curly Australian ethics podcast for children, the value of children, Dumbledore, Dumblededoodledy, a secret world in which wizards exist, Clifford the Big Red Dog, how Clifford got big, David Cronenberg's Clifford the Big Red Dog, The Fly, Darren Aronofsky's Clifford the Big Red Dog Send us your questions at questions@importantiftrue.com. If you enjoyed this and would like to subscribe to an ad-free feed, please consider supporting Idle Thumbs by backing our Patreon. Nick's Endorsement: Stretching (so you don't ruin your shitty old busted human frame) Jake's Endorsement: New York City in 1993 shot on HD video Chris' Jake-adjacent Bonus Endorsement: The Deuce TV show pilot on HBO Chris' Real Endorsement: Jarred anchovy fillets to pump up the flavor of your meals (for instance, this delicious pan-seared chicken recipe) Jake's Chris-adjacent Bonus Endorsement: Reassessing obnoxious childhood opinions fed to you by kid-targeted media and scorning your past self Sponsored by: Warby Parker prescription glasses with free home try-on, Quip electric toothbrushes with $10 off your first brush head refill Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes