As important as learning your ABCs, getting a fundamental education in the glory days of the ‘70s and ‘80s will prepare you for success in today’s pop-culture climate.  The TechnoRetro Dads continue to serve the public with 77 minute interstitials to reawaken the hearts and minds of GenXers while providing Millennials more than a basic introduction to the movies, music, TV shows, games, and toys that made these decades some of the best times to be a kid.  Who knows when you might have an opportunity to put the knowledge of timeless trivia to the test in order to win an OASIS of treasure (and free prizes) in a contest the likes of Ready Player One?  Make sure you’re tuned in every Monday morning for TechnoRetro Dads — just the thing to get your work week off to a great start.  Hurray!

In the NEWS

What do you mean Pluto still isn’t a planet? EarBuds from all over the world rapidly responded to the news from last week to let us know that, no, Pluto has not been reclassified as a planet.  Aw!  Maybe someday.  But things are looking up for TRON fans as construction begins in O’Lando for the Lightcycle Power Run.  If only they would start filming TR3N.  But the biggest news is about the star of Nintendo games, Mario!  Whether you’re talking about seeing the original “Jump Man” on the silver screen or seeing the popular plumber sans shirt, Mario is super at making headlines on the GRID!

We Love Our Cereal…

…and Post is boxing up bowls of great tastes, it seems.  Start looking for Great Grains Coconut Almond Crunch, Grape Nuts Trail Mix Crunch, Double Chocolate Brownie Crunch, Cinnamon Dino-Bites, Golden Honey O’s, and MOM’s Best Crispy Cinnamon Rice.  With two cinnamon additions to cereal aisle shelves this year, it looks like things are heating up for your taste buds, EarBuds!

Vinyl Scratchback

They may go “Crazy on You” if you’re a “Magic Man”, and that might not be a bad thing.  Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have been the thrumming heartbeat of Heart for the past four decades with loads of familiar songs from the ‘70s and ‘80s, even as the band’s sound developed alongside the times as the heavier beats and guitars gave way to cleaner, pop-centric synthesized choruses that matched well with high school dances (and even movies about high school dances). PLUS: JediShua discovers a Heart-shaped cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”.

TechnoRetro Arcade

How do you follow up a hit video game?  With a sequel that’s not only more colorful, faster, and smoother, but wrap it up with a big bow — on top of the main character’s head.  Ms. Pac-Man debuted in the States in 1982, with cut scenes showing how Pac-Man met Ms. Pac-Man, their fast-paced love affair, and (with implied promises of a third game in the series) Pac-Man, Jr.  Bouncing fruit added to the challenge of the game as gamers guided Ms. Pac-Man around mazes to avoid colorful ghosts (monsters), eat up fruit (and pretzels), and chomp down on the power pill that lets her eat up her enemies.  Ms. Pac-Man is the perfect game for this Valentine’s Day!

Let’s Go to the Movies: Young Love

He’s the everyman, the dork, the kickboxer who keeps getting kicked in the face by love.  From the iconic image of the lonesome lover hoisting his boombox over his head in Say Anything to a cross-country road trip to find The Sure Thing, John Cusack became the face of teen romance movies and rom-coms of the ‘80s.  Remember Lane Meyer fleeing from the persistent paperboy in Better Off Dead?  This budding cartoonist brought burgers to life in his “real job” before nearly killing himself skiing the K12 in hopes of finding love (from France).  Retaining his role as a teenage cartoonist in a warmer season, Cusack played Hoops McCann in One Crazy Summer with Bobcat Goldthwait playing Godzilla in a movie about a boat race that helps our hero win love, yet again.  Not to be forgotten is Danny, Lauri’s slacker boyfriend who ends up saving his girlfriend’s family from psychotic killers with the help of some mellow islanders and an off-kilter boat captain with a penchant for Robert Louis Stevenson.  Hot Pursuit, directed by Steven Lisberger, may indeed be shazbazzar’s favorite romantic comedy of all time.

Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, or lend your voice to our discussion about toys, cereal, games, or movies and shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback on voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com. And be sure to listen for hints and watch for clues for the TechnoRetro Dads’ Easter Egg with the ongoing TechnoRetro Egg Hunt.

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