This episode contains: Ben joins Steven in person, and Devon phones it in this week. Your heart has ventricles and… dorsicles? No Ben; It’s atriums. Steven reminds us that he knows the beginning of a Barenaked Ladies song. Devon chats about his first cruise! TLDR: It was… about as he expected. Was Devon on a cruise long enough to get scurvy? Are drink packages on cruise ships worth it? Everything's still wrong with Ben this week. Looks like one of Ben's bedroom walls will need to be replaced. FEMA declared the recent rainstorms in California an Avengers-level event. Ben is getting his septic tank pumped this week. Goodbye wooden deck. Ben found a lot of surprising things when crawling under his house. You wouldn't illegally download a house, would you? Steven needs a break from his vacations. Listen to Steven guest host the Plastic Plesiosaur podcast this month!

Brain Matters: Orienteering may help fight cognitive decline. Orienteering is a new sport, kinda like extreme hiking. Devon is our resident sports advocate and expert. De-stress and unplug with Orienteering, and improve your cognitive fitness. The recent study about Orienteering is self-reported, so we're kinda skeptical. Ben loves exploring new routes in his town. Steven & Devon say "no thanks." Steven thought Ben was going to murder him when driving him the wrong way home.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230120154924.htm

Charge it! Could gravity batteries really store excess renewable energy? Gravity batteries could theoretically be located in abandoned mines. Gravity batteries are one of the few ways to generate energy without steam!  Gravity batteries are not feasible: maintenance costs outweigh the benefits. We chat about hydroenergy between two lakes. Why do all our tech advances go back to the Romans? Thanks, middle ages! Steven's kids just watched Ratatouille for the first time... is it for kids? Steven has a quick Rant-atouille.  Ben invites Steven to come over and watch Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.

gravity-batteries-abandoned-mines-could-power-whole-planet.html"> https://www.techspot.com/news/97306-gravity-batteries-abandoned-mines-could-power-whole-planet.html

Mid-pod Patreon only: Renee reminded Steven he's talking about Bridgerton. Devon recommends the second Downton Abbey film. Doesn't recommend the first. Devon lawyersplains Downton Abbey to Ben. He could go on for a half hour, easy. Ben guesses the footmen in Downton Abbey are the ninjas working for Shredder.

Science Fiction / Big Question: We gush about The Last of Us, video game and show. Cordyceps is a real fungal thing that set up the premise of The Last of Us. We compare The Last of Us to a couple other zombie media. The Walking Dead refers to the people still left... just like The Last of Us. Starting The Last of Us with scientists in a 1968-era show is a good choice. Anna Torv is FANTASTIC in The Last of Us, AND Fringe. Watch Fringe. Wanna see more Pedro Pascal? We recommend Prospect. Did anybody see the FBI marriage subplot in Sonic 2 coming? Devon did.  Big question this week: we are old men grumbling about streaming services. HBO Max has been doing Ben dirty, y'all. Babylon 5 going away and a price hike? The Remastered version of Babylon 5 has been incredible.  Could HBO Max have waited a little after The Last of Us premier to raise price? Is it time to begin rotating streaming services?  Should we go back to physical media? When we bought shows that weren't revoked? Who would be hurt most from rotating streaming services?  Is it just time for us to grow up? Devon grew up 30 years ago. Git gud n00bs. Devon recommends Kevin Can F**k Himself on AMC.

After-pod Patreon only: Devon tries to tell a joke. He gets there eventually. Joke Orienteering is our new sport: here's a map, let's find the punch line! We like Wednesday despite it being a Tim Burton show. Why did Tim Burton spend 25 years making movies that didn't speak to Ben?  Wednesday gives Ben some Pushing Daisies vibes. Tim Burton was an Imagineer! That explains a lot, in a good way. Steven and Devon gush about The Last Kingdom. Very fast paced show. Slow book. Steven LOVES having maps in books, especially The Last Kingdom.  The same characters are in both The Last Kingdom and Assassins Creed: Valhalla. Ben would love to take a nap every day.  We say good night to Devon, and then Steven and Ben WE KEEP ON RECORDING! Steven tries to get Ben to name the people he hates.