Nerds Review: The Acolyte and Disney's Star Wars

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

#Books #Lifestyle #Arts #Hobbies #Cinema #Nerds Of The Old Republic #Nerd Review

1:14:43

Artificial intelligence is evolving at an unprecedented pace—what does that mean for the future of technology, venture capital, business, and even our understanding of ourselves? Award-winning journalist and writer Anil Ananthaswamy joins us for our latest episode to discuss his latest book Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI . Anil helps us explore the journey and many breakthroughs that have propelled machine learning from simple perceptrons to the sophisticated algorithms shaping today’s AI revolution, powering GPT and other models. The discussion aims to demystify some of the underlying math that powers modern machine learning to help everyone grasp this technology impacting our lives, even if your last math class was in high school. Anil walks us through the power of scaling laws, the shift from training to inference optimization, and the debate among AI’s pioneers about the road to AGI—should we be concerned, or are we still missing key pieces of the puzzle? The conversation also delves into AI’s philosophical implications—could understanding how machines learn help us better understand ourselves? And what challenges remain before AI systems can truly operate with agency? If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Sign up for our newsletter at techsurgepodcast.com for exclusive insights and updates on upcoming TechSurge Live Summits. Links: Read Why Machines Learn, Anil’s latest book on the math behind AI https://www.amazon.com/Why-Machines-Learn-Elegant-Behind/dp/0593185749 Learn more about Anil Ananthaswamy’s work and writing https://anilananthaswamy.com/ Watch Anil Ananthaswamy’s TED Talk on AI and intelligence https://www.ted.com/speakers/anil_ananthaswamy Discover the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship that shaped Anil’s AI research https://ksj.mit.edu/ Understand the Perceptron, the foundation of neural networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptron Read about the Perceptron Convergence Theorem and its significance https://www.nature.com/articles/323533a0…

about a year ago 58:40

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Star Wars not your thing? Next month, for two episodes, we're digging into an anthology of weird fiction appropriately titled, The Weird edited by Jeff and Ann Vandermeer. We're starting with "The Willows" and "The Penal Colony", but feel free to do your own, weird thing.

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Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

Nerds Review: The Acolyte and Disney's Star Wars

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

published about a year ago

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MP3•एपिसोड होम

69 एपिसोडस

#Books #Lifestyle #Arts #Hobbies #Cinema #Nerds Of The Old Republic #Nerd Review

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Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
A Whole Lot to Grappa About: TR Napper's 36 Streets 54:07

6 days ago54:07

54:07

Thanks for listening as the hosts try a new liquor and talk up the book 36 Streets by Australian author TR Napper. There's so much for everyone in this title: Vietnamese war history, virtual reality, the most sophisticated propaganda and mindflay ever conceived, cyberpunk weapons, old school crime families and smoking. Lots of smoking. If that doesn't sound like a conversation worth listening in to, I do know that next, we're discussing our watch of Cowboy Bebop, the anime series. If you've never seen, it's available on Crunchy Roll or Hulu as a part of your subscriptions. It can also be purchased on Apple (though it is quite pricy there). Lastly, if you want to support the work we're doing for nerds around the world, please consider using our Bookshop.org link. It gives us a small cut of the sale for anything you buy using our link, and supports local books stores near you!…

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
Sipping Sake and Diving into 'Ghost in the Shell' 50:00

27 days ago50:00

50:00

In this episode of 'Nerds in the Old Republic,' hosts Adam, Shaun, and Mike take on the 1995 anime cult classic, Ghost in the Shell . With much anticipation and fandom excitement in the air, the trio embarks on a spirited discussion about the film's complex plot and philosophical themes, all while savoring the unique experience of sipping on Japanese sake. Is it the anime masterpiece it's often hailed to be? Or does it succumb to the pitfalls of convoluted storytelling? Join the hosts as they navigate through the intricate world of cybernetic intrigue, question what it means to be human, and assess the film's groundbreaking animation and soundtrack. With commentary filled with humor and a touch of nostalgia, this episode not only serves as a reflection on a classic film but also as an invitation for listeners to revisit the existential questions posed by the film.…

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
"Diving Deep into George R.R. Martin's Westeros: The Enigmatic World of Dunk & Egg" 52:47

6 weeks ago52:47

52:47

Join the hosts of Nerds of the Old Republic as they delve into George R.R. Martin's fascinating world of Westeros, focusing on the enchanting tales of Dunk and Egg from The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms . Explore the rich history and complex characters that populate these novellas, as the hosts discuss Martin's unparalleled world-building and storytelling prowess. From the thrilling jousts to the intricate political machinations, discover how these stories capture the essence of chivalry and adventure within a medieval fantasy setting. Along the way, enjoy the lively banter and occasional guest appearances as the hosts pair their discussions with their favorite beverages, sharing their candid takes on everything from historical inspirations to modern adaptations. Whether you're a seasoned fan of Martin's work or new to the realm of Westeros, this episode promises to be a captivating exploration of themes, characters, and the enduring legacy of one of fantasy's most prolific authors. If you'd like to support this podcast, consider passing it on to a like-minded friend or family member. It's a great, no cost way to support creators you enjoy. If you're in the market for a new book, consider using our affiliate link over at Bookshop.org . We get 15% of any sale through our link, and you support local bookstores, since Bookshop.org fulfills every online order through a local shop near you.…

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
Nerds Year in Review 2: What Do the Nerds Want? 50:42

8 weeks ago50:42

50:42

Hey everyone, and Happy New Year! We're back with the second half of our "Year-in-Review" show, and this time, we're focusing on what Shaun, Mike and Adam want to see more of in the coming year. Hint: it's not more Disney+ specials set in the Star Wars Universe. But it is: more great anime, like Cowboy Beebop Fantasy like House of the Dragon More cyberpunk like 36 Streets And more! Since it's that time of year where we reflect on all of the awesome things in our lives, we want to thank you, our listeners for hanging around with us. It's great to know that there are likeminded nerdy fiction fans out there, and that you think we're worth your time. Thanks for listening! We'd also like to thank our friends over at Za Bills Podcast for not only being a kick ass podcast, but for also giving Shaun some time over on the mic there too. If you need pizza recommendations while you're in the Buffalo Region, give them a listen ahead of time -- they know their za! If you'd like to support our cast, a simple review on wherever you listen would make a huge difference in helping other people find us. Or, if you prefer, follow us on Goodreads - we tend to know a little about books, if you're looking for recommendations! Lastly, if you're in the market for a new book, why not use our Bookshop.org shop? Purchasing anything from Bookshop.org while using that link will send 15% our way, so it helps us pay for the monthly cost to host the show, or new equipment. Like new cables, for example. If you're ready to continue your training, young padawan, we're going to be talking about George RR Martin's short work, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms as well as the famous Ghost in the Shell . Make sure to watch the 1995 anime version, not the newer live action film if you want to join along in the convo. Till then, cheers!…

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
Nerds in Review 2024 53:00

12 weeks ago53:00

53:00

Hey there! And welcome to Nerds of the Old Republic - we're wrapping up the year with a tentative year-in-review in all things nerdy! On this cast, we're chatting about the following: Tolkien Star Wars George RR Martin Dungeons and Dragons And a big shout out to our friends at Za Bills - check out their great pizza reviews, and Buffalo Bills chat. Lastly, if you need a last minute holiday gift, why not support us AND a book store local to you? With our bookshop.org affiliation , you can do just that. Just use the link in our show notes and that's it! Bookshop.org will fill your order using a books store near you, we'll get 15% of your purchase, and your recipient will know you really, truly do know them because you got them the perfect gift. Thanks for your time, we know it's precious, and cheers!…

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
Nerd's Book Review: A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 47:20

14 weeks ago47:20

47:20

Hey there nerds! We're here reading our sub-etha meson reader, and this month it's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy . Grab your a big glass of gargle blaster and follow along as we discuss whether not it's parody, and whether or not it's worth your time. But before you get into that, why not dig into our good friend's podcast, Za Bills ? Shaun's been invited there a few times and we think they do great work! Lastly, if you're looking for some gifts this holiday season, why not consider our new affiliation with Bookshop.org ? We've curated a list of books that we've read and anything purchased from our link will also send 15% our way, which would go a long way towards things like our monthly hosting costs.…

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
Nerds Book Review: The Weird (Part 2) by Jeff and Ann Vandermeer 1:21:00

19 weeks ago1:21:00

1:21:00

We're going back to the well of The Weird, edited by the Vandermeers. In this cast, we're talking about Shirley Jackson, Jorge Louis Borges, and a story or two we each picked. Cuddle up with the tome, and read along -- this is a perfect fall read. Something new from us: Check out our Bookshop.org Store! If you want to support the cast, and read along with us, we're now working with Bookshop.org to help you get your Nerdy hands on what we're reading! Any purchase made through our link provides us a small affiliate percentage of your sale for no extra cost. AND Bookshop.org is the best way to support local book stores online! Bookshop.org supports local bookstores by giving local book stores a competitive online presence - and the orders are fulfilled directly by your neighborhood sellers! It's a win-win!…

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
Nerds Review: Early Weird Fiction 57:26

21 weeks ago57:26

57:26

Hey there! Do you like weird fiction? Is your bookshelf filled with Kafka and Algernon Blackwood? Well, then you know more about weird fiction than I did before we read selections from Jeff and Ann Vandermeer's collection of short fiction, The Weird . Today, we're reading "The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood and "In the Penal Colony" by Franz Kafka. After that, we're on to Shirley Jackson's "The Summer People" and "The Aleph" by Borges. Grab a copy of the book, and give 'em a read!…

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
Nerds Review: The Acolyte and Disney's Star Wars 58:40

22 weeks ago58:40

58:40

Hello and welcome to Nerds of the Old Republic! We're three friends who love reading nerdy fiction. We're taking a break from the reading this week to talk about Disney's The Acolyte, and it ended up also being about all of the Disney Star Wars Franchise. Star Wars not your thing? Next month, for two episodes, we're digging into an anthology of weird fiction appropriately titled, The Weird edited by Jeff and Ann Vandermeer. We're starting with "The Willows" and "The Penal Colony", but feel free to do your own, weird thing.…

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
Nerds Book Review: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 57:30

24 weeks ago57:30

57:30

Welcome back as we return to form with a book review: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. It's a multi-epoch book spanning the eras of Colonialism all the way through the glories of Neo So Copros with their fantastic clones serving you in the dinning hall, to the fall and eventual resurrection of human civilization in a Hawaiian colony. It's not our normal vibe in that it's less sci-fi and fantasy and more "everything bagel" of a novel, but we think you should listen in and maybe read it too. After this, join us in two weeks for a discussion of Disney's influence on Star Wars, and our takes on properties like Acolyte and the Skywalker Saga. You might want to make sure your volume is down a bit, because we definitely take it to 11. Cheers!…

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
Nerds Movie Review: The Goonies 42:29

26 weeks ago42:29

42:29

Hey there and welcome to the first episode in our fourth season! We're stretching our interests a bit with this one, but we're going to talk about The Goonies, that 1985 adventure movie with Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Ke Huy Quan, Kerri Green, Corey Feldman and directed by Richard Donner. Why The Goonies, you ask? Firstly because Mike had vowed never to watch it, and we got him to change a key aspect of his personality for the 'cast. Secondly, the Goonies are a different kind of nerd we've not yet touched upon -- the social pariah who is so simply because they refuse to be anything other than themselves. Who can't associate with that? Join us as we enjoy some Rocky Road martinis (if you're like me, you heard that in Sloth's voice), and share our lukewarm takes, it is just a few years old, after all.…

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
Nerds Book Review: Neuromancer by William Gibso 58:08

35 weeks ago58:08

58:08

Hello, and welcome to our last episode of season four! We’re reviewing an icon, our idol, and early cast book in William Gibson’s Neuromancer<\i>. It’s got sexy robots, international heists and apartments the size of NYC closets, what more could you need in your cyberpunk? Seriously, this novel is genre defining and explanation avoiding — which is half the fun of listening to this episode. How do Adam, Shaun and Mike try to explain what is inexplicable (and for Adam, unfinished)? If you want more nerdy goodness while we’re off for the summer, why not check out our back catalogue? We’ve read books like Snow Crash <\i> by William Gibson and Walkaway<\i> by Cory Doctorow that are in the same dystopian-cyber-maker-fi vein. If you’d rather a more known property, we read the Star Wars villain book Thrawn. There’s lots to love for every nerd. We’ll see you again in the fall, with Cloud Atlas<\i>!…

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
Nerds Movie Review: Everything, Everywhere All at Once 42:43

38 weeks ago42:43

42:43

Hey there fellow nerds! We're talking about the 2022 smash movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once while drinking a smoked, maple bourbon peach smash -- kinda an everything all-at-once cocktail. Listen in if you've already watched it, and if not, grab your favorite chapstick, head to Netflix, and give it a watch. For those mixologists out there, here's my recipe and process for our beverage: 1 oz bourbon (we used Elijah Craig) 1 oz maple syrup 0.5 oz lemon juice 1/2 a peach Directions: Slice your peach into 1/4 and place them in your smoking cloche (or other cocktail smoker) Smoke the peaches for at least 5 minutes as you mix the rest of the cocktail. We used hickory wood for this. Muddle the peaches in the bottom of your cocktail shaker, then fill it with ice. Smoke the drinking glasses, making sure to leave the smoke there for a minute. Put the liquid ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake until frost forms on your shaker. Remove the glass from your smoking device, or vise-versa and pour the cocktail. Rim the glass with the unsmoked peach, and leave on glass for garnish. If you want to catch up with our next read, it's the groundbreaking Neuromancer by Neal Stephenson. Genre-defining, compound-adjective-forming, this one is sure to give us a lot to talk about. Until then, stay nerdy!…

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
Nerds Book Review: Ray Naylor's The Mountain in the Sea 1:04:43

45 weeks ago1:04:43

1:04:43

Today we review a book that's all about our avatar's baby cousin -- the octopus. Ray Naylor's The Mountain in the Sea . What's better than octopodes with a culture and written language? How about a near future where we've created the first sentient android, and a security officer with a first name so long you'd have to scroll down to read it all? There's more to Naylor's Mountain than this, but after a few surprise beverages from Shaun in our running series of Shaun surprises Mike and Adam with a new brew, what else is there to know? Grab a copy of the book and dive on in! If first contact with new intelligences isn't your thing, what about the OG cyberpunk from William Gibson? Up next for us is his genre-defining Neuromancer .…

Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

1
Nerds Movie Review: Dune 2 1:06:00

47 weeks ago1:06:00