Episode 543: The Nailed God

Real Life Devon's journey to California was an absolute disaster—airline delays, misfortune, and plenty of travel woes. We also dive into how our phones are both doom-scroll machines and powerful learning tools. Devon shares his love for the music app Simply Piano, which teaches more than just piano. Meanwhile, Steven and Devon jammed out on piano and acoustic guitar, and Ben reflected on fatherhood—specifically how video games can help break generational trauma. We also tackle a big question: Who can we trust for accurate news anymore? And why does it seem like we only feel tragedy when Americans are attacked? What does that say about us as humans, and is there any way to break the cycle? Fantasy Media & Devon's Deep Dives Devon has been lost in The Stormlight Archive, an epic fantasy series spanning thousands of pages. (Check it out: Stormlight Archive). We talk about what got Devon into fantasy in the first place—The Name of the Wind and Red Rising—and how playing D&D shaped his storytelling. Speaking of books, Devon brings up Exturb1a's poetry, which gets Ben way too excited. Then we take a detour into The Saxon Stories, which may not technically be fantasy, but Devon argues otherwise. We also discuss "The Nailed God" and its historical parallels. (More on The Saxon Stories) Steven is prepping to run a Mothership TTRPG session for Devon, Ben, and friends. He shares his process for session creation, and we get into how ChatGPT is surprisingly useful for game prep—and how AI might shape video games in the future. (Mothership TTRPG) Some Good AI / LLM Talk Ben has been experimenting with Notebook LM by Google, which is basically a 90% accurate study guide. But is that good enough? We also discuss Dropout TV, Cartoon Hell, and the weird world of AI in everyday life—like how Steven had to sign an AI release just to get pet healthcare?! Ben compares all of this to that chaotic Invader Zim episode, "Play The Tape!" and quickly plugs Becky Chambers' To Be Taught If Fortunate. (Check it out here).