The last year of the twenty-teens begins with an amazing blend of new and old with feedback from EarBuds, new TV shows focusing on ‘80s culture, AI reminiscent of HAL from 2001, boxes of cerealicious breakfast food, and new video games in a classic style.

Feedback

Discover the intrinsic relationship between Speak & Spell and the Little Professor.  TRON goes X-Wing thanks to Mark Ham All.  Mark Hamill jokes about Joker cereal.  Several EarBuds chime in with fond memories from 2018, ranging from Solo to Spider-Man to Pac-Man to chicken walkers to vacations in O’Lando.

In the NEWS

The International Space Station has a floating half-spherical artificial intelligence who behaves like a toddler.  Thankfully, it’s named CIMON and not HAL, and “Daisy” doesn’t seem to be on its playlist.  The ‘80s get turned upside-down again this year on July 4th when Stranger Things 3 shows up on Netflix.  Speaking of sequels, They Live may finally have one in the works according to John Carpenter.  Python Michael Palin is to be honored by the British Crown this year and gain the knightly honorific, “Sir”.  We think he maybe knighted at sunset.

We Love Our Cereal…

…and the pics we’re getting from EarBuds!  From exciting wall decor in the image of favorite retro cereal mascots to boxes of marshmallowy grandeur to stockings backed by boxes of favorite cereals, there are bowls and bowls of breakfasts just waiting to be poured over milk.  Suddenly, our bowls overflow with reports from the Roving Spoonster: new GM cereals hitting shelves, Netflix goes viral with a cereal question, a principal feeds kids over the holidays with gift boxes of…yep — cereal!  Still, some cereal aficionados might give the rest of us a bad name; specifically with frivolous lawsuits.

TechnoRetro Arcade

The Super NES game console was Nintendo’s 16-bit submission to the home video game market.  SNES and Sega Genesis battled head-to-head thirty years ago for a bigger piece of the pixelated pie.  With Street Fighter II and Donkey Kong Country, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was popular with gamers of all ages, even as the 32-bit systems came into the market.

Toys in the Attic

If you ventured into Walmart anytime during the past couple months, you may have noticed some larger than desktop sized arcade games featuring side art and classic marquees reminiscent of the mid-eighties with Pac-Man, Galaga, Rampage, Centipede, and more.  A new retro idea — 3/4 scaled arcade games — hit the pallets in November and continue making their way out retail stores even today.  With a $300 price tag, these aren’t cheap , but they might just satisfy your craving for a bit of the old arcade in a corner of your office.

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Be sure to check out episodes you may have missed on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, or at TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com.  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merch at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us your mp3dback via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.