This is Only a Test

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

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!

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

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!

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

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?

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

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-fro...

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

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/@all...

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

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 sta...

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

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!

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

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?

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

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 ...

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

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 eac...

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

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!

Ctrl-F For Real Life – This is Only a Test 649 – 5/12/22

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!

Punished Props Catch-Up – This is Only a Test 648 – 5/5/22

On Revenge of The Fifth day, we catch up with our friends Bill and Brittany Doran of Punished Props Academy to talk about their recent prop builds, 3D modeling for prop building, and diving in to CNC machining for their next projects. We also hear how they balance their content creation schedule with personal hobbies and travel, and geek out over the Star Wars trailers and news that came out this past week! Check out the Punished Props Fusion 360 3D modeling tutorial here: https://www.punishe...

A Disturbance In The Timeline – This is Only a Test 647 – 4/28/22

A whole lot of news to cover this week as Norm and Kishore digess Twitter's takeover and potential future, the trailers and announcements from Cinemacon, Meta's Quest gaming showcase, and the coolest drone video we've ever seen. Plus, an update on Kishore's EV quest!

Wilsonnnnnn! – This is Only a Test 646 – 4/22/22

Love and Thunder are upon us as we react and break down the new Thor trailer, get excited for a new Star Wars game announcement, and discuss the hand-tracking 2.0 update for Quest. Prop maker Ben Eadie also joins us to detail his recent RC Wilson build for Tom Hanks and catch up on his latest projects. Plus, it's time for Kishore to embark on an EV quest!

Mid-Season Thoughts – This is Only a Test 645 – 4/14/22

Kishore's back from a hiatus and we catch up with our sweet quiche to talk about Picard, Moon Knight, and swoon about Severance. Plus, the first look at PlayDate hardware in the hands of reviewers, driverless cars shenanigans in San Francisco, and that photo of Bill Gates checking out augmented reality hardware.

Video Production Q&A – This is Only a Test 644 – 4/7/22

Joey joins Norm for a duocast to pick up where we left off last week answering some listener questions about Tested's video production, and to chat about his new pizza-making video series Getting Doughy with Joey! We talk about virtual production technologies, the return of the Monkey Island game franchise, and the big Star Trek news that just dropped. Plus, a bit of sci-fi pendantry in a rant at the end of the show!

One Perfect Shot – This is Only a Test 643 – 3/31/22

The tambola of guest hosts continues to revolve this week as Norm is joined by Tested's own Joey Fameli and new producer Josh Self in his podcast debut! The three talk about Josh's backgound in production and the making of our recent Bond-inspired dart blaster video, as well as dive into recent films like The Batman. Plus, we watch HBO Max's One Perfect Shot documentary series, and give a spoiler-free review of the first episode of Moon Knight! Thanks to Joey and Josh for joining this week! Y...

Galactic Starcruiser – This is Only a Test 642 – 3/24/22

We're talking Star Wars this week as Norm is joined by guest host Kayte and special guest Adam Russell of the Thank the Maker podcast to talk about Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser! Adam and his friends actually embarked on the two-day immersive Star Wars hotel, and answers our burning questions about the experience. No major spoilers here either! Thanks to Adam Russell for joining us this week! Find him and the Thank the Maker podcast at: https://anchor.fm/thankthemaker

Star Gazers – This is Only a Test 641 – 3/18/22

Science communicator and explorer Ariel Waldman guests on the podcast this week to talk about her recent and upcoming expeditions, what it's like packing for a monthlong trip to Antarctica, and the joys of microscopy. Plus, we discuss the first two episodes of Star Trek: Picard's second season and our hopes and predictions for the rest of the series!

One Last Keynote – This is Only a Test 640 – 3/10/22

We break down Apple's recent Peek Performance event and discuss the potential of the new M1Ultra processor, the design of their Mac Studio computer, and what we'd like to see from Apple's reentry into the consumer monitor space. Plus, it's the end of an era as Jeremy finds his creative calling and we look back at his tenure co-hosting the podcast and journey as a maker. Thanks for all the fish, Williams!

Steam Deck Debrief – This is Only a Test 639 – 3/3/22

After a week off, we're back with a duocast to answer questions left over from our recent Steam Deck review, give a little insight into the testing and review process, and speculate about the future of handheld computing. Plus, Jeremy finally watches Ghostbusters: Afterlife and we discuss the reviews for Disney's Star Wars-themed spaceship hotel.

It's a Mad, Mad, Multiverse – This is Only a Test 638 – 2/17/22

The gang's all back after this past weekend's big game to talk about that nostalgia-filled half-timed show, the swarm of crypto and electric vehicle commercials, and the first looks at The Rings of Power. We then dive deep into the multiverse and break down that insane Dr. Strange trailer. Plus, Kishore finally gets to unload about his Android woes and temptation to switch over to the dark side.

Futurama Returns – This is Only a Test 637 – 2/10/22

No bigger news this week than the revival of Futurama, one of our favorite science fiction shows ever. Our resident Futurama expert Kishore talks about where the show left off and what he hopes to come, and Will joins this week to talk about the launch of The Anacrusis and his new podcast on open-source software. Plus, the sad state of 4K sports streaming, and those juicy new details about the upcoming Steam Deck. Also, stick around for an interview with one of the sculptors and art directors...

All About Halo – This is Only a Test 636 – 2/3/22

Tested's head of production Joey Fameli joins us this week to talk about a topic near and dear to his heart: Halo! With the announcment of Sony's acquisition of Halo's original developer Bungie and the debut of the live-action Halo trailer, we hear from our resident Spartan expert about what's familiar and what's new to Halo fans in this highly-anticipated show. Plus, Kishore and Norm discuss in detail the latest episode of The Book of Boba Fett--spoilers within!

Star Wars Fans, Serviced – This is Only a Test 635 – 1/27/22

It's all about Star Wars this week and we discuss EA's annoucement that it's working on three new Star Wars games, and guest Dan Stapleton of IGN joins us to talk about the latest Steam Deck news. We devote the second half of the hour reviewing the latest episode of The Book of Boba Fett, in spoilerific detail. You have been warned!

Microsoft, Big Spender – This is Only a Test 634 – 1/20/22

There's only one place to start this week as we discuss the massive acqusition of Activision/Blizzard by Microsoft, its implications, and how it's not a metaverse play. Plus, the saga of a Dune concept art book bought at auction, the technical hurdles of software interoperability, and our reaction to the new Moon Knight trailer!

Resin Printing Questions – This is Only a Test 633 – 1/13/22

Special guest Clayton aka Uncle Jessy joins us this week for a full episode discussing the latest in resin 3D printing! We hear how he got started with rapid prototyping and his thoughts on new innovations being introduced to resin printers this past year. An hour of geeking out with one of our favorite YouTubers!

The Wait for PSVR 2 Begins – This is Only a Test 632 – 1/6/22

The new year commences with CES in full swing as we recap how we spent our holidays, the movies we watched, and the gifts we gave and received. The gang discusses the big tech announcements out of CES, including details on Sony's PSVR 2, HTC's wrist trackers, and passthrough applications on Quest 2. Plus, a new Stern pinball machine and neat drone tech!

The Year That Was 2021 – This is Only a Test 631 – 12/23/21

For our last podcast episode of the year, we go over the top technology and science stories from the past 12 months and give our retrospective takes on what trends were fads and what technologies may have legs into the future. Plus, one of our favorite recent 3D prints and excitement for the upcoming James Webb telescope launch! Thanks for hanging out with us this year and see you in 2022!

The Tech Demo Awakens – This is Only a Test 630 – 12/16/21

We geek out over the truly Epic Unreal Engine 5 demo released in The Matrix Awakens and discuss the technology that makes it possible. Kishore also gives an update on the research being done on the Omicron variant, what to expect over the coming weeks, and silver linings in the data.

New Holiday Classics – This is Only a Test 629 – 12/9/21

Duocast this week! Jeremy and Norm catch up on the first three episodes of Disney's Hawkeye show, warn you not to watch the newest Matrix trailer, and get excited for the upcoming Spiderverse sequel. Plus, we can't get enough of Aardman's new Shaun the Sheep holiday special!

The O Word – This is Only a Test 628 – 12/2/21

After a restful Thanksgiving holiday, we're back with an extended Moment of Science for Kishore to answer our questions about the Omicron coronavirus variant. We also give a spoiler-free review of the first two episodes of Haweye and recap the Unity Slices VR demo Norm tried last week. Plus, what's one movie you'd want to be able to watch again for the very first time? No wrong answers here.

Thanksgiving Break – This is Only a Test 626 – 11/25/21

The crew are break this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, but Norm gives an update of what to expect on the channel in the coming week and we rebroadcast a recent livestream q&a for those of you who may have missed it! Thanks to all our listeners and channel members for supporting the show and we'll see you next week!

You're The Genius Bar – This is Only a Test 626 – 11/18/21

After returning from DesignerCon, Norm and the team get together to discuss the new Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer drop, our IMAX enhanced home-viewing experience, and Apple's shift in right to repair policy. Plus, Valve gives more details about Steamdeck hardware and Meta's Reality Labs previews some haptics research! (Apologies for some popping audio in the episode as we had a bad XLR cable in a microphone)

VR Friendships – This is Only a Test 625 – 11/11/21

The full squad is back this week to talk about Tested's short film shoot and spacesuit build, an incredible AT-AT Lego set, IMAX formatted movies for the home, and Unity buying Weta Digital. Plus, extended impressions of the Lynx R1 mixed reality headset and the upcoming zombie game After The Fall!

Talking LEGO – This is Only a Test 624 – 11/4/21

joined by special guest Brent Waller, a LEGO fan designer who's had several of his creations turned into official LEGO sets (including the Ghostbusters Ecto-1 and Seinfeld apartment). Brent joins us to talk about our halloween adventures, his journey submitting successful LEGO Ideas projects, creating Batmobiles for the LEGO Batman film, and the new LEGO Bricklink Designer Program. Plus, a glimpse at how he sorts his massive LEGO collection!

That's So Meta – This is Only a Test 623 – 10/28/21

It's a big week for virtual reality as Jeremy and Norm discuss all the news to come out of Facebook Connect, including the brief glimpses of new hardware teased for next year. Plus, the Dune sequel gets greenlit, Pixar's Lightyear trailer, and thoughts on the VR headsets announced by Varjo and Pimax.

Pro, Max, Notch – This is Only a Test 622 – 10/21/21

We react to the trailers and footage shown at DC's recent Fandome event, including the new trailer for The Batman and our first look at Black Adam! The team also discusses Valve's plans to verify games for the SteamDeck, and Google's Pixel 6 strategy. Plus, our take on the performance and design of Apple's just-announced MacBook Pro lineup and new Airpod 3s.

Should've Sent a Poet – This is Only a Test 621 – 10/14/21

We're back from New York Comic Con to talk about the cosplay we saw there, the Ghostbusters: Afterlife panel, and testing the iPhone's cinematic mode on the show floor. Plus, Kishore's close encounter with the earthquake in Hawaii, Shatner's spaceflight, and a deluge of VR and AR news!

Windows 11 – This is Only a Test 620 – 10/7/21

We're finally all back together this week to discuss the launch of Windows 11, the recent social media outage, and William Shatner's upcoming trip to space! Plus, the problem with Seinfeld on Netflix and what's the deal with the movie being filmed on the International Space Station. Who's going to be at New York Comic Con this weekend?

Cinematic Mode – This is Only a Test 619 – 9/30/21

The duocast streak continues as Jeremy tags in this week to discuss real world use of iPhone's cinematic video mode, the nitpicking of iPad Mini's jelly roll screen effect, porting Medal of Honor to the Quest 2, and Amazon's slate of home robots. Plus, Norm demos a new type of LED strip he's been testing and rants about the movie Free Guy. Join us!

Visions – This is Only a Test 618 – 9/24/21

Norm and Kishore check in to talk about the success of the Inspiration 4 mission, the just-announced Mario movie, and what surprised us most about the Star Wars Visions series. Plus, Microsoft's revamped hardware lineup, new iPhone reviews, and the future of wireless charging.

Apple's Diminishing Returns – This is Only a Test 617 – 9/16/21

Another duocast this week, as Jeremy joins Norm to recap the announcements and disappointments from Apple's California Streaming event, including the new technolgoy in the latest generation of iPhones and Apple Watch. Plus, more thoughts on The Matrix, the launch of the Inspiration 4 mission, and the first trailer for Marvel's Hawkeye show!

Resurrections – This is Only a Test 616 – 9/9/21

So much to go over this week! Kishore and Norm give a lengthy spoiler-free review of Shang-Chi, dissect the incredible The Matrix: Ressurections trailer, ponder the future of holographic concerts, and break down the challenges of "smart glasses" for both Facebook and Apple as both companies pursue augmented reality technologies.

Parental Control – This is Only a Test 615 – 9/2/21

Man in Robot Suit – This is Only a Test 614 – 8/26/21

Two massive Marvel trailers dropped this week as we discuss the latest glimpses of The Eternals and the internet-breaking Spider-Man: No Way Home teaser. Plus, we debate the practicality of the Tesla Robot, talk LED light strips, react to Disney's Genie Pass, and awe over an amazing fan-made Simpsons video player!

Horizon Workrooms – This is Only a Test 613 – 8/19/21

This week, we catch up on the new animated MCU show "What If...?", get hyped for Star Wars Visions, recap our trip to see the original Batwing filming model, and try to wrap our heads around the appeal folding phones. Plus, we discuss and give our impressions on the just-announced Horizon Workrooms open beta and the virtual reality technology being developed to create the VR alternative to video calls for collaborations.

Proton Is Not An Emulator – This is Only a Test 612 – 8/12/21

Three big topics to go over this week, as Norm recaps and gives more context to his Steam Deck hands-on trip to Valve, we discuss The Suicide Squad with minor spoilers, and Devindra Hardawar of Engadget and the Filmcast guests to give clarity to Apple's new child safety initiatives on iPhone. Thanks to Devindra for guesting this week! You can find him online at https://twitter.com/devindra and the Filmcast: https://audioboom.com/channels/4997224

Is PCVR Dead – This is Only a Test 611 – 8/5/21

This week, Kishore gives a big update explaining the data on the Delta variant, we discuss the new Ghostbusters: Afterlife trailer, Google's just-announced Pixel 6 phone, Disney's Galactic Starcruiser pricing, and the prospects for PC-based virtual reality systems as a sustainable market.