Jeremy Williams joins us for an extra long and special episode of the podcast as we dissect and discuss the announcements from Meta Connect, including all the details about the new Quest Pro. Plus, the surprising return of fan-favorite characters in the new Star Trek: Picard trailer, and a little Moment of Science as well. Stick around for some news from the team, and thanks as always for listening!

All Good Things – This is Only a Test 668 – 10/14/22

This week, we talk Twitter's uncertain future and Tesla's latest AI-day robot reveals has us fonding remembering the epic fails of the Darpa Robotics Challenge. Plus, a ruling in the EU that may change how Apple makes their future iPhones. That and our final predictions ahead of the Meta Connect conference coming up next week!

Optimusk – This is Only a Test 667 – 10/6/22

Marvel shocks us with a surprise Deadpool 3 announcement, NASA completes a test of its planetary defense strategy, and Stadia gets sunsetted in this week's packed news discussion. We also welcome EV reporter Robbie Baldwin to the show to answer our questions about the current state of electric vehicles around the globe, and what people in the market to buy an EV should be aware of today. Thanks so much to Robbie for guesting on the show this week! You can find him at https://twitter.com/strngwys and the Wheel Bearings podcast at https://wheelbearings.media/

EV Questions Answered – This is Only a Test 666 – 9/30/22

Norm's back from Disneyland just in time to discuss the debut of Andor, the GTA VI leak, and Nvidia's latest generation of graphics cards. Plus, what surprised iFixit about their iPhone 14 teardown, Logitech's curious cloud gaming handheld, and a new standalone VR headset announcement!

Pockets of Fomenting – This is Only a Test 665 – 9/23/22

We recap the big news out of this past weekend's D23 expo, including announcements from the lands of Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Disney+. Plus, a new trailer and title for Breath of the Wild's sequel, and the trailers from Sony's State of Play.

Avatar Stans – This is Only a Test 664 – 9/15/22

A lot of news to go over this week as we recap Apple's big fall product launch and the most interesting features of the new iPhone. Disney+ Day goes head to head with Star Trek Day in which we see the full trailer for Picard Season 3, and we discuss the first episode of The Rings of Power. Plus, behind Adam's lightsaber build and a revelations in 3D printing.

Dynamic Island – This is Only a Test 663 – 9/9/22

We're back from SiliCon! Joining us this week is Mike Corrie aka Props To History, a new friend and one of the guests we met at this past weekend's convention! We share our favorite sights, cosplays, and memories from the event, frustrations over TSA mishandling of props, and our mutual love for 1999's The Mummy. Plus, the strange new world of AI-generated artwork. Thanks to Mike for joining us this week! You can find Props to History at: http://www.propstohistory.com http://www.corrisonstudios.com

Props To History – This is Only a Test 662 – 9/1/22

SiliCon is upon us! Jen Schachter joins us to talk about what to expect from the MakerVerse panels and workshops at the convention, as well as guests and makers we're excited to meet up with at the show. Plus, we review the first episodes of She-Hulk and House of the Dragon, lament the cancellation of an upcoming Batman show, and scratch our heads at screenshots from the metaverse.

Building the MakerVerse – This is Only a Test 661 – 8/23/22

We've got The Sandman on the mind as Norm reviews the new Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman's comic series this week, as well as the best Predator movie maybe ever in Prey. Plus, thoughts on Samsung's Unpacked event, Amazon buying iRobot, and the 90th anniversary of LEGO!

Stream of The Endless – This is Only a Test 660 – 8/12/22

What a week. From the passing of cultural icons like Nichelle Nichols and Bill Russell to the chaos around the Batgirl movie, we could take a breath to process major news as it broke from minute to minute. We discuss our hopes for the future of HBO Max and DC, get pumped for Andor, and get an extended return of A Moment of Science!

Crisis on Infinite Streaming Services – This is Only a Test 659 – 8/5/22

We're back after a week off to talk about our blitz through San Diego Comic-Con and all the bit movie announcements from the weekend's Hall H panels. We discuss the vibe on the show floor and our favorite booths as well as break down Marvel's Phase 5 and 6 reveals. Plus, what's going on with VR hardware pricing increases?

The Multiverse Saga – This is Only a Test 658 – 07/28/22

It's a big week for science and science fiction as Norm and Kishore are joined by science communicator Ariel Waldman to geek out about the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope (aka. Jelly Welly Space Telly). We also review the first season of Star Trek Strange New Worlds (very minor spoilers within) and get hyped for Comic-Con! Thanks to Ariel for joining us this week! You can sign up to get dispatches from her Antarctic expedition here: https://mailchi.mp/arielwaldman/updates-from-antarctica and get notified when her book Out There is available to order here: https://www.amazon.com/Ariel-Waldman/e/B015SGHJSQ/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk

Strange New Worlds – This is Only a Test 657 – 07/15/22

As convention season starts to pick up, this week's episode is all about the incredible large size cosplay builds we've seen. Special guest Allison Chase joins us to talk about her journey making showstopping cosplays such as her Power Loader from Aliens, Snowball from Rick and Morty, and My Neighbor Totoro's Catbus that Adam saw at MegaCon last year! Thanks so much to Allison for joining us this week! You can find her work at https://www.instagram.com/aachase1401/ https://www.tiktok.com/@allison.chase.cosplay https://www.instructables.com/member/AllisonC74/

Super Size Cosplay – This is Only a Test 656 – 07/08/22

We have an interview special for you this week as Norm is joined by Tested contributor Sean Charlesworth and modelmaker Bill Krause to geek out about Star Trek's starships, and pay tribute to modelmaking legend Greg Jein. We recap our visit to Bricks by the Bay, hear about this year's Wonderfest modelmaking show, and learn how Bill and Sean worked together to make scale model starships that appeared in season 2 of Star Trek: Picard! Thanks to Bill for being our guest this week! Follow his starship builds at https://www.instagram.com/admiralbuck/

Star Trek Starships – This is Only a Test 655 – 7/1/22

The prodigal podcaster returns! Jeremy comes back for a special episode of the podcast as we discuss our recent trip up to Reality Labs Research to demo Meta's prototype VR headsets. We also chat about Top Gun in 4DX, LEGO's new 90th anniversary sets, and rank the films in the Toy Story franchise. Of course, there's also a pinball update--it's been too long!

Visual Turing Test – This is Only a Test 654 – 6/22/22

Kishore and Norm return from some travel and share some of the things we saw at Monsterpalooza as well as at the National Air and Space Museum in Virginia. We fawn over Strange New Worlds and break down the incredible Ms. Marvel debut. We also recap the most notable and bizarre things to come out of Apple's WWDC keynote. Plus, what's up with all the recent AI-generated imagery being shared on social media lately?

Fandom Propaganda – This is Only a Test 653 – 6/11/22

Norm and Kayte are joined by special guest Adam Russell of the Thank the Maker podcast this week to recap their adventures at this past weekend's Star Wars Celebration convention! We talk about our favorite sights from the show floor, that incredible Mandalorian exhibit, the new shows announced, and the first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi! Minor plot spoilers within! Thanks to Adam Russell for joining us this week! Find him and the Thank the Maker podcast at: https://anchor.fm/thankthemaker https://twitter.com/thankthemaker https://twitter.com/AdamTheSkull https://www.instagram.com/thankthemakerpod/ https://www.instagram.com/adamtheskull/

Celebration 2022 – This is Only a Test 652 – 6/3/22

We take a moment to acknowledge the tragedies of the past two weeks, and attempt to keep the rest of the show light to take a breath from the intensity of the news. From an upcoming family road trip to Star Wars Celebration to the return of Tom Cruise running on the biggest screen possible, here's what we're looking forward to over the next week. Plus, a moment of science returns as Kishore breaks down some new research data about long Covid. Thanks as always for choosing to spend an hour each week hanging out with us.

Choose Kindness – This is Only a Test 651 – 5/26/22

As we approach the debut of the Obi-Wan show, we discuss all the nuggets of Star Wars news revealed in the recent Vanity Fair feature. Kishore and Norm also react to the She-Hulk teaser, ponder Stan Lee's future in the MCU, and are wowed by two newly announced LEGO sets. Plus, some spoiler-light thoughts on the Picard season 2 finale and a mini Spoilercast review of Dr. Strange In the Multiverse of Madness at the end of the show!

Pop Culture Power Hour – This is Only a Test 650 – 5/19/22

On the night after Google I/O, Kishore and Norm pod up to discuss the new Pixel devices announced and teased, and break down the augmented reality demos shown. We also share thoughts on the Moon Knight finale (spoilers within!) and compare notes on the technology of the Avatar 2 teaser. Plus, the end of the iPod era!

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