Nw Nerd Podcast: Fandom-powered News

The Ghost Logs of the Grand Lodge are kept behind the hotel's front desk. It chronicles the experiences of guests and employees over the years -- shadow figures walking down the halls, children who aren't there, the Lavender lady (a former living resident who leaves the smell of lavender to this day) and much more. In our annual Halloween tradition, NW NERD takes you to this haunted hotel in Forest Grove, Oregon to talk with town residents and employees. This is a special, extra long feature. Stay tuned for voice actors performing genuine stories from the actual ghost log of the Grand Lodge.

Hosts Nick Jarin and Dyer Oxley kick off the Season 3 premiere with some news before launching into a super-sized Halloween feature by Dyer. This episode, he takes us to the Grand Lodge outside Portland, Oregon where guests and workers alike have had some supernatural experiences. 3:20 -- News: Netflix Marvel cancellations12:15 -- News: Ancestry DNA services help solve crimes20:30 -- News: Why Jet Li wasn’t in The Matrix26:15 -- News: Facebook caused the pivot to video with bad data36:30 -- Feature: The Ghost Logs of the Grand Lodge

While most people are aware of Renton City Comic Con for two days in September, it's a year-round commitment for the RenCon community of volunteers and organizers. This group can appear more like a Rotary Club than a comic con with litter patrols, parades, charities, and other civic engagement -- in cosplay of course. Founders and locals discus this nerd fraternity and its goal of becoming the region's community con.

What does it take to compete in a cosplay contest? What do judges and contestants consider? Expert cosplayers provide some tips and advice on cosplay contests. Renton City Comic Con, aka RenCon, has focused on the Northwest cosplay scene as one of its main attractions. Founders and cosplayers discuss what is behind this approach and explain why cosplay is important to them. Featuring: Pixie Bomber Cosplay, BH Cosplay, Loratail Cosplay, and Brian Morris with Zak Labs. https://www.rentoncitycomiccon.com/

NW NERD (Nick Jarin and Dyer Oxley) talk with RenCon founder Emilio Morales, Tashia Ortiz, and Justin Hunt who each have a role in organizing Renton City Comic Con. They discuss what it takes, and what they've learned putting together this comic convention.

The Renton City Comic Con has grown its annual event over the past three years to become a Northwest geek attraction. Organizers have innovated cosplay contests, geek awards, and much more. Yet, organizers say there is a lack of support among some community leaders. Local politics, funding, and "Footloose" all come into play as RenCon attempts to throw its 2018 comic con. NW NERD dives into what it takes to organize a convention, and RenCon's story.

Nick Jarin and Dyer Oxley discuss their trip to Seaside, Oregon for Versus Comic Con, present some highlights from people stopping by the booth to debate some nerdy topics such as whether or not Star Wars is science fiction, and finally, they react to a couple trailers out of SDCC.

Nick Jarin and Dyer Oxley sit down for a check-in on what each other have been watching all summer while they work on Season 3 (coming this fall!). Westworld (1:45)Luke Cage (13:00)Solo: A Star Wars Story (18:55)Ant-Man and Wasp (32:00)The Incredibles 2 (35:55)Deadpool 2 (41:00)Legion (49:00)Fahrenheit 451 (53:30)Come see Nick and Dyer at Versus Comic Con this weekend in Seaside, Oregon!

Four back-to-back features from Season 2 that all have something in common -- they have a connection to Seattle. From educational video games, to why Seattleites are like that. You know what we mean, they're just so, ya know, cold. Also, the story of a band that endeavored to record a Star Wars tribute album before "The Last Jedi" was released. And finally, we return to a Seattle home that a former resident never left. This is a perfect episode to experience NW NERD for the first time, or to experience the Season 2 hits again.

Not everything makes it into an episode of NW NERD Podcast. Some interviews never emerge as features, or some discussions stray way off topic. But we saved them and present them to you here. These are the cuts from Season 2 of NW NERD. Dyer's story about waiting hours in line to see the first "Twilight" movie; a comic and hobby shop owner talks about how Dungeons and Dragons is very different these days; and a scientist discusses everything from modern-day prospecting to ghost towns.

Hosts Nick Jarin and Dyer Oxley kick off the Season 2 finale with a look at Seattle’s newest, most mysterious convention, then discuss a local company looking to mine asteroids. Right before the News Warp, Nick bemoans the early cancellation of the Glover brothers’ Deadpool animated series. Dyer’s feature this week looks at the rise of Funko and their Pop! vinyl figures. Nick quizzes Dyer on other second seasons of things before making Dyer pay off the last quiz bet by reviewing Legion. They wrap things up with an interview with organizers from Versus Comic Con in Seaside, Oregon.4:00 -- Ace Comic Con12:30 -- Redmond asteroid mining company18:45 -- No Deadpool TV show26:45 -- News Warp: Westworld S2 trailer28:30 -- News Warp: Fantastic Four’s return30:30 -- News Warp: Brands’ April Fools pranks33:45 -- Feature: The Rise of Funko 49:30 -- Quiz: Seasons 256:20 -- Payoff: Legion1:06:00 -- Interview: Versus Comic Con1:18:00 -- Easter Egg

In this season’s tenth Round Table episode, hosts Nick Jarin and Dyer Oxley are joined by Genevieve Haas and Andrew Walsh of After These Messages, a podcast about TV commercials. Together, the four discuss the concept of a guilty pleasure TV show or movie in an era when nerd culture is pop culture and there’s too much good TV for any one person to watch. Now that online communities are waiting with open arms for you to nerd out on whatever show it is that you’re into, what’s left to feel embarrassed about? The gang discuss and offer up some of their guilty pleasures along the way. Things get...vulnerable. You’ve never heard Nick and Dyer like this.

Hosts Nick Jarin and Dyer Oxley start things off with a round-up of nerdy news, including a major esports event leaving Seattle for Vancouver and why Washington has become a crypto-mining hotspot. Then, they warp through some other news bites before playing Dyer’s feature story, which focuses on Twitch streamers and the harassment that they face. Later, Dyer quizzes Nick on some Superman history. Nick pays off the last quiz bet with some reactions to Star Trek: The Next Generation. They wrap things up with a quick conversation with organizers from the Washington State Toy and Geek Fest. 3:30 -- Seattle loses Dota 2 tournament to Vancouver6:15 -- Crypto-mining in Washington11:50 -- Washington passes net neutrality law15:20 -- News Warp: Luke Cage trailer16:30 -- News Warp: Avengers: Infinity War21:15 -- News Warp: Jon Favreau’s Star Wars23:10 -- News Warp: Fantastic Beasts: The Dumbledore One24:15 -- News Warp: The real Wakanda27:45 -- Feature: Twitch 47:20 -- Quiz: Superman1:01:15 -- Payoff: Star Trek: TNG1:1

In this season’s ninth Round Table episode, hosts Nick Jarin and Dyer Oxley are joined by cosplayers Jerikandra, Abie Ekenezar, and Brian Morris. Each of them brings a different and crucial perspective to a discussion on cosplay dress codes. The group starts by listening and reacting to an interview Dyer did with Eric Colbert, an organizer with RadCon in the Tri-Cities. They recently got into some hot water over the way that another organizer told cosplayers not to dress like a “prostitute” at the convention. In the Round Table, the panelists discuss what a good dress code looks like and they even volunteer to help Dyer cosplay for the first time.3:15 -- Interview with Eric Colbert of RadCon13:10 -- Round Table with Jerikandra, Abie, and BrianJerikandra Cosplay: https://www.facebook.com/jerikandracosplay/Brian Morris' Zak Labs: https://zak-labs.com/ Abie Ekenezar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babsek79/

Hosts Nick Jarin and Dyer Oxley recap Emerald City Comic Con weekend, including their cosplay contest and after party on Friday night where some very impressive cosplayers showed off their hard work. In the second half of the episode, the two review Netflix’s Altered Carbon and question why it left so much of its potential on the table.3:00 -- Cosplay Contest13:45 -- ECCC23:40 -- Altered Carbon

In a special bonus episode of NW NERD, we return to our dating / relationships panel from episode 38 -- Jay Edidin, Stacy Rost, and Harris O'Malley aka Dr. Nerdlove. There were a few more listener questions we didn't get to and they have some advice to relate. This bonus episode comes just as Emerald City Comic Con takes over Seattle, so take a listen while you're walking the floor.

Hosts Nick Jarin and Dyer Oxley start things off with a round-up of nerdy news, including Tacoma’s new park dedicated to the creator of Dune. Dyer’s feature delves into the big business of conventions. Nick gets grilled on his knowledge of sci-fi writer Frank Herbert’s northwest connections, and then pays off the bet for losing the last quiz. 5:45 -- News: Dune Peninsula in Tacoma11:00 -- News: Preparing for flying cars17:20 -- News: HasLab20:45 -- News: Joss Whedon leaves Batgirl28:30 -- Feature: The Geek-conomy 43:00 -- Quiz: Frank Herbert in the NW54:40 -- Payoff: Gilmore GirlsNW NERD's after party and cosplay contest: https://www.facebook.com/events/2019020448420891/

SPOILER ALERT: The gang discuss key plot elements of Black Panther in this episode.In this season’s eighth Round Table episode, hosts Nick Jarin and Dyer Oxley are joined by Tim Hall AKA the People’s Critic and That Guy Named John from the About to Review Podcast to discuss Black Panther. They discuss the themes of the film, including #KillmongerWasRight and how it addresses the relationship between people in diaspora and people still in their homeland.

Hosts Nick Jarin and Dyer Oxley start things off with news that Game of Thrones’ showrunners are taking on a Star Wars trilogy, before quickly reacting to a slew of other news, including new trailers for Solo and Deadpool. Then, Dyer asks a panel of experts questions about relationships and dating in the nerdy northwest (33:50). They wrap things up with two exclusives: An interview with Seattle Police on their experiences with convention weekends (51:09) and a stewing controversy over the dress code at the Tri-Cities’ RadCon (57:36). 3:24 -- News: Game of Star War Thrones14:15 -- News: WA vs ticket bots20:59 -- The Updown: Legion returns22:40 -- The Updown: Goku Sanchez 24:00 -- The Updown: Deadpool, Jessica Jones, Solo, Venom trailers27:59 -- The Updown: Old Spice D&D30:05 -- The Updown: Black Panther soundtrack33:50 -- Feature: Dating in the Nerdy Northwest51:09 -- Interview: SPD on cosplay57:36 -- Radcon cosplay rules

In this season’s eighth Round Table episode, hosts Nick Jarin and Dyer Oxley are joined by Dan McKeon, a software engineer, crypto owner, and blockchain enthusiast. He opens up the world of cryptocurrency for novices like Nick and Dyer. They start off defining what cryptocurrency and blockchain are before discussing whether you should invest in crypto (you shouldn’t), how cryptocurrencies are a lot like gold, crypto's energy use problem, and much more.