Best Robotics 247 Podcast Podcasts (2025)

1
248 - Turn On 1:07:25

3d ago1:07:25

1:07:25

Jen and Tim unearth a cursed relic: the television show cancelled before the final credits even rolled, Turn On! Thank you, SoapsNThings on YouTube, for archiving so many episodes of Peyton Place. The offensive Aussie show Jen alluded to that also got cancelled during the first episode was "Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos." You can see the singu…

1
247 - The Driver 1:16:07

18d ago1:16:07

1:16:07

Tim and Jen ride along with a taciturn Ryan O'Neal for Walter Hill's sinuous neo-noir, The Driver! Walter Hill spoke with Deadline in 2024 about his influences, Tony Scott's idiot brother, and of course, westerns. Hill also talked about the controversy surrounding The Warriors in an interview for Esquire: I think the reason why there were some viol…

1
246 - Heist 1:04:04

25d ago1:04:04

1:04:04

Jen and Tim examine some D-tier David Mamet: the by-the-numbers heist flick, uh, Heist. Chris Person of the worker-owned tech news site Aftermath dug up the previously unavailable special Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants in pristine broadcast resolution and made it available to the world once again. Read an interview with Person about the process an…

1
274: The Cable Cowboy Who Went from Broke to Broadband 🤠 | Terry Koosed of Bel Air Internet 2:16:14

1M ago2:16:14

2:16:14

Terry Koosed is the Founder of Bel Air Internet, a Los Angeles based Internet Service Provider, and a leading authority on successful entrepreneurship. He has founded and successfully run seven companies in the high-tech industry during the past 40 years, sometimes concurrently, and is what some would call, a serial entrepreneur. Listen to Part II,…

1
245 - Casino Royale 1:07:10

2M ago1:07:10

1:07:10

Tim and Jen suffer through a patchwork spy pastiche, Casino Royale. Errata: Jen attributed the anecdote about producer Charles K. Feldman removing the pay-offs to the jokes in the script to Joe McGrath, but it actually came from another director credited on the film, Val Guest. Speaking of, you can look through some of superagent-turned-producer Fe…

1
244 - I, Robot 1:19:32

2M ago1:19:32

1:19:32

Jen sends thousands of robots to compel Tim to discuss a film "suggested by" Isaac Asimov's writings, I, Robot! The creepshot photographer Jen couldn't remember the name of was Miroslav Tichý. You can see many of his surreptitious and admittedly beautiful works at ArtNet. Speaking of Czech artists, we neglected to mention that Alex Proyas is curren…

1
243 - Prince of the Sun 58:13

2M ago58:13

58:13

Tim can barely hold back his excitement about a movie that (kind of) has Cynthia Rothrock in it: Prince of the Sun! View the (kind of) English dub of the film at the Internet Archive. Jen forgot that her Letterboxd list was called "Anti-Girlboss Movies," and any movie starring Mai certainly qualifies for it. (Protip: there's also a list of every si…

1
273: Publishing to EdTech: The Unlikely Road to Evolution Labs with Founder Peter Kraft 1:26:53

2M ago1:26:53

1:26:53

Peter Kraft is the Founder and President of Evolution Labs. Prior to founding Evolution Labs, Kraft was instrumental in forming and re-envisioning two educational software companies that led the industry in recruitment, enrollment and retention of college students. He co-founded GoalQuest in 2000 and served as its CEO until 2007 when he spearheaded…

1
242 - Psycho Kickboxer 1:27:38

3M ago1:27:38

1:27:38

Jen invites comedian Kath Barbadoro to enjoy Psycho Kickboxer, the martial arts schlock movie that put Virginia Beach on the map!* Hear more of Kath on the Lie, Cheat, & Steal and What a Time to Be Alive podcasts. She also riffs movies with Master Pancake Theater! Look for them on Twitch. When in Virginia Beach, visit the Hot Tuna, as seen in Psych…

1
241 - The Black Hole 1:22:32

3M ago1:22:32

1:22:32

A mysterious stranger returns to the show to evaluate a weak Disney stab at a dark sci-fi blockbuster: The Black Hole! Zencastr gives you flawless audio, crystal-clear video, and effortless editing. Spend less time juggling tools, more time making great slo— uhh, content! The Hollywood Reporter looked back on the production of The Black Hole in 201…

1
240 - Skidoo 1:26:48

3M ago1:26:48

1:26:48

Jen welcomes Jesse Hawken of the venerable Junk Filter podcast to help her detox from the bad trip that is Otto Preminger's Skidoo! See Preminger host his own trailer for Bunny Lake is Missing, and you better not show up late or he'll open up a can of Vienna-sausage-in-chicken-broth whoop-ass on you. Preminger and singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson ap…

1
272: From Selling Phones Out of a Van to Leading a 9-Figure Empire | Brett Beveridge of T-ROC 1:13:10

4M ago1:13:10

1:13:10

Brett Beveridge is the President of The Revenue Optimization Companies. Brett is an entrepreneurial, results-driven executive with over 20 years of experience and success in the wireless and technology industries. He has hands-on success in start-ups, profit turnarounds, mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and fundraising and is the driving force behind…

1
239 - Blood Diner 1:20:31

4M ago1:20:31

1:20:31

Jen welcomes musician and poster par excellence Patrick Cosmos to chat about a fun little movie with tongue firmly in cheek, Blood Diner! Find Patrick at veryimportant.lawyer on Bandcamp and Bluesky, and get his Tonal Rotors album at Big Sleep Records. Sadly, Carl Crew's California Institute of Abnormalarts is no more. Read an archived article from…

1
238 - Mars Needs Moms 1:33:35

4M ago1:33:35

1:33:35

Jen blasts off with Bitter Karella in search of the meaning of an artifact from 2011: the motion-capture kid's flick Mars Needs Moms. We glibly refer to the film as "one of the biggest box office bombs of all time," as well as THE biggest, but narrowing down the actual Failure of All Failures is tough. Wikipedia has an unranked list of box office d…

1
237 - Shanghai Surprise 1:19:17

4M ago1:19:17

1:19:17

Jen and Tim suffer through an ill-starred attempt at an international caper, Shanghai Surprise! Podcast like a pro with Zencastr! Life With My Sister Madonna is a delightfully juicy read penned by her late brother, Christopher Ciccone. (And of course she's hairy, she's Italian!) Madonna has denied that Sean Penn physically abused her during their r…

1
236 - FM 1:33:37

5M ago1:33:37

1:33:37

Tim and Jen welcome living legend Hollywood Steve Huey to discuss a Quaalude overdose of a film, FM from 1978! The core creators of Yacht Rock (both series and genre classification) host the delightful Yacht or Nyacht podcast, in which they rate the yachtiness of user-submitted songs. Highly recommended! See Bob Odenkirk narrate the story of Disco …

1
235 - Wild Wild West 1:27:29

5M ago1:27:29

1:27:29

Jen and Tim wicky-wicky-watch a mostly loathed tentpole film from 1999, The Giant Mechanical Spider Invasion, aka Jon Peters' Wild Wild West (come on, it might as well have his name right above the title). We are sponsored by Zencastr, the best way to podcast! Mel Magazine has a retrospective article on the production of the film (good luck trying …

1
234 - Black Rain 1:49:10

5M ago1:49:10

1:49:10

Tim and Jen spend a LOT of time picking over a mid-tier Ridley Scott-directed actioner: Black Rain from 1989! Errata: Jen says "Tanpei Monogatori" when she meant "Tantei Monogatari," the detective TV show starring Black Rain's antagonist, Yūsuku Matsuda. All those wasted years as a weeb and she still can't pronounce Japanese words properly. Sad! Fo…

1
271: How to Breathe Life into a Business... Dr. Dan Cohen of Breathe Right Strips 55:39

5M ago55:39

55:39

Dr. Dan Cohen is the former Chairman of CNS, Incorporated. Dr. Cohen was the driving force behind the meteoric rise of Breathe Right nasal strips, acquiring the rights to manufacture and sell the product for the medical equipment company he founded in 1982. In 2006, GlaxoSmithKline acquired CNS, including its Breathe Right nasal strips and FiberCho…

1
233 - A Cure For Wellness 1:19:01

5M ago1:19:01

1:19:01

Jen welcomes show regular Bitter Karella and wild card Moodyferret to evangelize a Gore Verbinski flop that didn't deserve the massive shrug it got from the public: the 2016 psychological thriller A Cure For Wellness. Errata: we all say in the episode that this movie came out in 2016, but it actually arrived in theaters on February 17, 2017 before …

1
232 - The Earth Day Special 1:54:54

5M ago1:54:54

1:54:54

Jen and Tim look back at an all-star polemic from 1990, The Earth Day Special, a plea on behalf of Mother Earth that made a powerful impression on a young Tim. Also, we better not catch you pouring any old house paint down the drain. Watch the special at the Internet Archive (and if so inclined, maybe throw them a small donation for collecting all …

1
231 - Lycan Colony 1:49:34

6M ago1:49:34

1:49:34

The editing is terrible! Tim and Jen howl at the moon, which is an ovoid shape, and critique the amateurish werewolf film Lycan Colony, at least when they can make out what's onscreen. Take a drink every time Tim says the editing is terrible! Do you love podcasting? Do you love clicking on links? Well here's one that's related to both of those thin…

1
270: Once Again, the Return of the Non-Food Franchise King: Jon Ostenson of Franbridge Consulting 59:52

7M ago59:52

59:52

Jon Ostenson is the Founder of FranBridge Consulting. Jon is a top 1% Franchise Consultant in the US, and frequent contributor on franchising across a variety of outlets and publications. Jon is a multi-brand franchisee himself, and along with his business partners, he has great operators leading these ventures. As a result, he is able to commit ov…

1
230 - The Christmas That Almost Wasn't 1:10:03

7M ago1:10:03

1:10:03

Jen and Tim hold Josh Boerman of The Worst of All Possible Worlds podcast hostage in order to talk about a holiday musical that really wasn't: The Christmas That Almost Wasn't! For more of the Worst Possible boys, check out our collection of their guest appearances on the show! And of course you simply must hear The Worst of All Possible Worlds for…

1
Encore: Boy Bands (feat. Joey McIntyre of NKOTB) 37:15

7M ago37:15

37:15

We revisit one of our favorite episodes, the boy band episode (originally published in ep 50), where we explore all things boy band-- New Kids on the Block, N*Sync, Backstreet Boys, Hanson, One Direction and more. Plus an interview with our special guest, NKOTB star Joey McIntyre. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

1
229 - Christmas Evil 1:10:51

7M ago1:10:51

1:10:51

Tim and Jen cover an unusual holiday movie that features a man beaten down by an uncaring society enough to become a self-appointed assassin. Wait, what year is this? It's 1980 and this is Christmas Evil! There is a whole ass website about Whamageddon with the ruleset and everything, if you'd like to play or simply to inform yourself. We won't be p…

1
269: Most Mortified Champions! 35:14

7M ago35:14

35:14

The Most Mortified Tournament of Teen Angst reaches its climax, as the winning Mortified chapter is officially crowned. Tyrel Hartman shares journals about first kisses and video games, as well poems about a pet hamster. Andrew Willis shares journals about the search for romance in high school. As a heads up, we will have one more episode left afte…

1
228 - Toys 1:48:46

7M ago1:48:46

1:48:46

Jen and Tim grit their teeth through Barry Levinson's oppressively whimsical passion project that literally no one liked, Toys. Also, take a drink every time we use a variant of the word "whimsy," but please drink responsibly! See the (in)famous Toys teaser trailer on YouTube. Roger Ebert penned a more measured analysis of the film back in 1992: Th…

1
269: Blowing Minds with Carey Smith: The Big Ass Fans Story! 🫏... 1:12:04

8M ago1:12:04

1:12:04

Carey Smith founded Big Ass Fans in 1999 and served as its Chief Big Ass until the company's sale in 2017. Under his guidance, Big Ass Fans grew an average of 30% a year, with offices across the globe. It made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies 11 consecutive years — a feat achieved by only 34 others — and expanded from industr…

1
268: Most Mortified Finale pt 2 39:32

8M ago39:32

39:32

Hear part 2 of our Most Mortified Tournament of Teen Angst finale. Segment 1: the erotic fiction of Keith Garcia. Segment 2: A conversation with 3 members of the Mortified Denver community that covers such topics as: an epic coming-out tale, a major tampon mishap, sneaking explicit music past religious parents and lurid stories from youth group. Th…

1
227 - Sleepwalkers 1:18:00

8M ago1:18:00

1:18:00

Tim and Jen rope old friend Paul Jay into talking about a very stupid Stephen King shapeshifting energy vampires vs. kitties flick, Sleepwalkers. Errata: Newsies actually came out April 8th, 1992, but it's probably safe to assume that no one wanted to see it on that date, either. IGN has a very good interview with director Mick Garris, in which he …

1
226 - Tough Guys Don't Dance 1:30:35

8M ago1:30:35

1:30:35

Oh God! Oh man! Jen and Tim and Mets devotee David J. Roth square up with Norman Mailer's demented neo-noir, Tough Guys Don't Dance. Read David's piece on a true American original, B-movie stalwart Wings Hauser. Did you know that he was in Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time? Well now you do! Collider profiled the one and only ersatz Charles …

1
267: Most Mortified Finale pt 1 35:03

8M ago35:03

35:03

Hear part 1 of our Most Mortified Tournament of Teen Angst finale. Segment 1: the diary of Chanel Ruth. Segment 2: A conversation with 3 members of the Mortified Chicago team that covers such topics as: creative ways for closeted young lesbians to use the Josie and the Pussycats soundtrack, kids who fear they'll go to hell for watching an Al Pacino…

1
225 - Children of the Stones 1:15:20

9M ago1:15:20

1:15:20

Tim takes the reins to enthuse about a shockingly creepy British TV series for kids (?!), Children of the Stones. Tip us at ko-fi.com/hystpod! Watch the entirety of Children of the Stones on YouTube! Hear the Reese Shearsmith-led podcast adaptation of Children of the Stones over at the Beeb. Want more folk horror? Sample our collection of same! Hos…

1
268: Manufacturing Shutters & Company Culture | 🪟 Rick Skidmore of Timberlane Inc. 1:06:53

9M ago1:06:53

1:06:53

Rick Skidmore is the Founder and CEO at Timberlane, Inc. Having been born an entrepreneur, it should have been clear early on that despite considerable success in the insurance and investment industry, Rick's future was outside the traditional career path. Rick founded his current company, Timberlane Inc., in 1995, based on a passion and a gaping n…

1
224 - Valentino 1:21:00

9M ago1:21:00

1:21:00

Jen welcomes Darren Herczeg to help her rhapsodize about a movie even director Ken Russell didn't like, Valentino! Tip us at ko-fi.com/hystpod! The wonderfully-named Phallic Frenzy gives Russell his due as an audacious filmmaker, and describes Valentino in complimentary terms. See Nureyev fully commit to the bit by dancing "Swine Lake" on the Muppe…

1
266: The Fascinating Girl 29:52

9M ago29:52

29:52

Stories include: At the height of the Carter-Reagan election, a 10-year-old girl, Alex, imagines experiencing a future with a female President. A broken hearted teen, Erica, unleashes her romantic fury by writing her ex a 24-page letter. A girl in the 1970s, Rhonda, wrestles with who she ought to be in pages of her journals after reading a book abo…

1
223 - Alien³ 1:40:04

9M ago1:40:04

1:40:04

Jen and Tim rationalize David Fincher's unlucky first feature, Alien Cubed (aka Alien³). Turns out that Tim has A LOT to say about Alien movies! Read a 1992 interview with David Fincher, in which he's quite candid about "the worst thing that ever happened to me"— that is, the production of Alien³. A helpful fan wiki has provided a transcript of Wil…

1
Announcement: The Have You Seen This PBS-Style Fundraising Appeal 2:25

9M ago2:25

2:25

We're not going anywhere, but we need your help to keep making the show! We hope you can support us at: patreon.com/haveyouseenthis ko-fi.com/hystpod Buy merch at https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/158813109 And stop by liquid-iv.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
265: Most Mortified Semifinals - Chicago vs Portland 40:15

9M ago40:15

40:15

The Most Mortified tournament has reached the semifinals! In this head to head clash of titans, the Mortified Chicago chapter battles the Mortified Portland chapter. Stories include: Inspired by the diary of Anne Frank, a girl sets out to keep an adolescent diary that will be remembered for the ages. The epic tale of a shy kid who works up the gump…

1
222 - The Rocketeer 1:18:42

10M ago1:18:42

1:18:42

Tim and Jen are surprisingly hard on Disney's amiable comics-based misfire, The Rocketeer! See Rondo Hatton in The Brute Man, but let the MST3k crew accompany you through this murky noir. The Cocoanut Grove fire has been widely covered in media. The Fascinating Horror channel has an excellent recounting of the disaster, in the dispassionate and non…

1
221 - Art Clokey and Gumby Dharma 1:07:45

10M ago1:07:45

1:07:45

Jen and Tim return to Gumbasia to discuss the legacy of a complicated man: Gumby creator Art Clokey! The documentary that sparked the discussion, Gumby Dharma, may be viewed free on YouTube via the channel for Bay Area PBS station KQED. Pay a visit to Clokey Productions to see some behind-the-scenes footage! Here's an example of that Lego wizard ha…

1
264: Why My Name is Robert 32:45

10M ago32:45

32:45

The rebellious, fury-filled journals of a Korean-American boy who was caught in the midst of a culture clash at school and at home. Watch Robert's performance in the The Mortified Guide to Family in The Mortified Guide TV mini-series on Tubi and Freevee(Amazon Prime). The Mortified Podcast is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. This episode is m…

1
220 - Streets of Fire 1:06:18

10M ago1:06:18

1:06:18

An extra-mellow and profoundly aphasic Bitter Karella steps in to help Jen explicate the other, crappier version of The Warriors: Streets of Fire! Hear the bangin' soundtrack on YouTube, which includes "Deeper and Deeper" by The Fixx (which you won't see on the Spotify version of the soundtrack even though "Deeper and Deeper" IS on there. Who knows…

1
267: Powering Innovation: Jim Kalb's Journey with OptiFuse & the Future of Fuses!⚡ 1:25:19

10M ago1:25:19

1:25:19

Jim Kalb is currently the President of OptiFuse, an innovative high-growth manufacturer of power protection components distributed by high-quality select wholesalers throughout the world. OptiFuse has been listed on the Inc. 5000 for the last 5 years, as well as being named as one of Forbe's magazines "25 Best Small Companies" in 2017. This Episode…

1
263: Most Mortified Semifinals: Denver vs DC/Baltimore 48:03

10M ago48:03

48:03

The Most Mortified tournament has reached the semifinals! In this head to head clash of titans, the Mortified Denver chapter battles the Mortified DC/Baltimore chapter. Stories include: A grade school boy goes to great lengths to win a classroom election. A catholic school girl ventures into dating with very limited sex education knowledge. A boy d…

1
219 - Our Worst Favorites, Episodes 101-200 1:33:54

11M ago1:33:54

1:33:54

Having spoken about their most favorite topics from the last one hundred episodes, Tim and Jen scrape the bottom of the barrel for their worst favorites. Lexx, Witch Hunt, and Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus may all be viewed at the Internet Archive. The game Jen mentioned is indeed Warlords and you can play it online with those heart-stoppin…

1
262: Crossover episode: Rock That Doesn't Roll 45:48

11M ago45:48

45:48

If you were a devout christian kid in the 1980's, there's a good chance mainstream music was off-limits. Especially debaucherous hair metal bands like Motley Crue and Poison. That one christian glam band, complete with big hair, makeup and tight spandex, changed all that... In this special crossover episode with our friends at Rock That Doesn't Rol…

1
218 - Our Most Favorites, Episodes 101-200 2:03:30

11M ago2:03:30

2:03:30

Jen and Tim reflect on the last one hundred episodes (holy crap, we made it to 200 and beyond!) and each chooses five favorites from the mixed bag! On YouTube, you can watch Penda's Fen, The Jericho Mile, and Pavel Klushantsev's delightful Planet of Storms. Tubi has the taut thriller Money Movers, as well as the unjustly overlooked Heart of Midnigh…

1
217 - Phase IV 1:26:07

11M ago1:26:07

1:26:07

Tim and Jen invite Alex Rancourt of the Saucer Cinema podcast to marvel at Saul Bass's disquieting sci-fi dreamscape, Phase IV! View the alternate ending that should have been the theatrical ending to Phase IV on YouTube. A couple of interesting side notes about the Oscar-winning faux documentary Alex mentioned, The Hellstrom Chronicle: it was conc…

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