If you ever have your own podcast...

...process and upload episodes as you make them. Because this can happen to you, too! (Arrows indicate chronological order of 17 to 01 Season 2 episodes)

X-Com: Hollywoo: Four Number One

17 to 01: A Piece of the Action

We assumed that you all wanted to hear more about Libertarians. That's the kind of thing you like, right? We also give some time, but not enough time, to a number of planets that Star Trek does not visit. The lack of confederate-themed-fraternity-party themed planet hurts us all.

I really enjoyed this one, but it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. I like the meat of these types of episodes, but this one has no meat.

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 7:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Clear

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087.

THG-20P Clear
Overview
  The chaos of the Federated Commonwealth Civil War was the perfect opportunity for arms manufacturers in the Taurian Concordat to begin pitching new spending proposals. Amongst the glut of offers and plans, the winner was newcomer CrossTech with designs for creating the Free Worlds League's popular Cicada.
  The Concordat created the Cicada natively for several years before a Federated Hellfire Territory raid destroyed the factory which produced the chassis. Their Word of Blake allies offered them unfinished Thug chassis from Star League era warehouses and helped adapt the Cicada parts to the new frame.
  Named after the project head, the Clear made its battlefield debut as a command ‘Mech halting another Territories raid just under a year later.

Clueless Gamer: Super Smash Brothers

An Alternate Idea for Independence Day 2

Last week, I talked about why I didn't like Independence Day 2. This week, I'm going to pitch my idea for it.

Independence Day 2 has the same scavenger aliens as the first one. Now they're coming back in a grandmother ship for…some of their guys holed up in Africa? 

And I know the aliens in Africa will be important because it’s the only detail from the movie website that doesn’t jibe with a smoothed-over, business-as-usual post-war Earth. I mean, what will Independence Day 3 cover? The Scavengers’ deeply-held belief that the third time is the charm?

Imagine: Earth rebuilds after The War of 1996. We have a series of small cities built on the edges of the ruins of our old cities. Things are decentralized, but we do have a unified world government and hella-cool command center which runs our early detection crap, our alien-tech defense forces, and our expeditionary fleets. It’s a big complex and maybe Earth’s largest city (because millions died in the last movie).

X-Com: Hollywoo: Third Time's the Harm

17 to 01: Mirror, Mirror

Ah, what a classic. We decode some decor, witness Kirk/Spock in action, and then talk Doctor McCoy: Spy. All-in-all a standard episode.

Has anyone else ever seen a dude do the vase trick? I feel like I'm pulling from a small sample size when I talk about it.

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 7:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Jester

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087.

The Jester is the oldest design from this collection. As such, its format isn't quite like the other 'Mechs here. I do plan on having an editorial phase after these are all written up. How have I missed every other week of this project while I had this one in the can? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

LKI-1A Jester
Overview
  The Ghost Bears initially conceived of the Jester as a homegrown replacement for the Hellbringer and Ebon Jaguar during their early resettlement in the Inner Sphere. Years later, it was revived as a way to create a native platform cheaply using low-technology, native infrastructure. Jesters meekly flowed into freeborn forces and militias until the Take and Hold Proclamation of 3081.
  Many mercenaries were unmoved by offers of land or participation in the burgeoning Ghost Bear civilian government. They wanted physical, portable rewards vice revocable deeds and titles from a stumbling state. Rasalhague civilian liaisons suggested a compromise: the last run of the Jester--always unpopular at home--would be offered to mercenaries as payment under Take and Hold.
 Mercenaries from both the Dragoons Pact and Mercenaries’ Alliance liked the 'Mech's omni abilities, even if its low armor and expensive, fragile engine occasionally made it a white elephant. The ‘Mech had two more “last production” runs before orders made it a  regular export of the Ghost Bears.

Big Fat Quiz of Everything

I lied.

Also, I always love the one American who's on press assignment and has no idea what's happening.

Independence Day 2 Misses the Point of Independence Day

So there’s a sequel coming to the 1996 classic, Independence Day. It’s got its own website. It’s directed by Roland Emmerich, who did the first one. It’s got Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, and thankfully—no Adam Baldwin.

X-Com: Hollywoo: X-Com Comes Twice This Year

17 to 01: Wolf in the Fold

After quite a wait, I've finally got the second of the three "lost" episodes up. Next one is "Mirror, Mirror."

McCoy is a terrible doctor because this universe is broken and also because he's trapped on Game of Thrones planet with Jack the Ripper. As an aside, Derek and I plumb the depths of heterosexuality. 

Lookups: On Risa, they play hoverball. Kosho is a sport played in The Prisoner. The Prisoner is fantastic and you should watch it.

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 7:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Durendal

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087.

Durendal (Block 1)
Overview
In 3068, the Wolf’s Dragoons began making economic and social overtures towards Terra Firma and Capolla. The two worlds were already deep in The Word of Blake fold, but maintained much of their independence. Together, they leveraged their historic cooperation to get as much out of the competing powers as they could.
Just a few years later, The Dragoons assembled a panel of allied worlds to jointly develop the Durendal. Terra Firma and Capolla all but forced their way in, becoming the only panel members formally aligned with the Word of Blake. Within months, they accused The Dragoons of puppetmastering the board to give allies the illusion of control.
Within months, The Dragoons’ stepped down from the panel, which continued for the next decade without creating a BattleMech.
In 3082, Lieutenant Colonel Sharas Karrar was invited to the now-infamous Durendal Panel by representatives from--among other worlds--Terra Firma and Capolla. He cut through the vested interests and mission creep by making the ‘Mech an OmniMech (taking the blame for the associated increases in cost). A strict set of configurations, and percentages for each allowed every world which wanted to sell equipment for the design to do so.
Political arguments about equipment appropriations levels, day one upgrades, and configuration benchmarks still continue, but the Durendal was completed, over budget, under tasked, and generally reviled.

Big Fat Quiz of 2015

I never realize how much I miss these things until December comes around. Next week it'll be a return to more random internet shit.

Jarnfolk

So I'd never heard about the Jarnfolk before. I was curious about this new faction I'd never heard of. I went to Sarna.net and...

It's just so weird that the entry just ends right there. So strange.

X-Com: Hollywoo Part 1

17 to 01: The Omega Glory

In this episode we talk about the improbabilities of alternate Earths, Captain Tracey's career path up through door maintenance, and Chekov's axe. 

It's a fun episode that's somehow equal parts good and bad. It's got both somehow in one weird package.

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 7:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

Top Hits of 2015

I do this every year and I was running a bit late on this one. Enjoy what the youth and others were into in 2015.

My other traditional annual videos are coming up in the next few weeks.