Nerdist Camp

Cup The Mic Productions
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Kris Grainger & Andi Elliott present a weekly podcast that aims to free the geek! Join drill sergeants Kris & Andi as they set up camp and parade all things geek for your inspection. Each week they'll be raiding the barracks for all things gaming, music, hobbies, role-play, sci-fi, astronomy, science, conspiracy, unsolved mystery, toys, comics, cosplay, film, documentary, coffee, vinyl, home recording, computers, AI, retro-tech, radiation, cold-war, history, UFO...and so on. Join us under the canvas for a delve into the world of the nerd, and make suggestions on Discord for topics and questions that you'd like us to look into. From time to time we'll have guests in the mess tent who are experts in particular topics. So keep us on your podcast provider's radar and keep your comms open, because Nerdist Camp needs you to sign up right now! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Ghost Ships

    6d ago

    Ghost Ships

    S2E9 - Ghost Ships Have you ever stood on a quiet harbour wall at dusk and wondered what might come drifting in on the tide — sails set, lights burning, and not a living soul aboard? Today we're casting off into the eerie world of ghost ships: the derelicts found adrift with their crews vanished, the phantom vessels doomed to sail forever, and the stubborn real-world mysteries that still refuse to be solved. There's something uniquely unsettling about a ship with no one aboard. A haunted house at least stays put — you can choose to walk away from it. A ghost ship comes to you, sliding silently out of the fog with everything in its place but the people who should be there. The idea has haunted sailors for centuries and crossed over into folklore, literature, film and games. But ghost ships aren't only the stuff of legend. Some are very real: genuine vessels found abandoned in circumstances that have never been satisfactorily explained, their stories passed down, embellished, argued over, and occasionally debunked. So tonight we're going to separate the documented from the legendary, work out why these stories grip us so tightly, and ask why, in an age of GPS and satellite tracking, the empty ship still gives us the shivers. Related Media You Might LikeGhost Ship (2002) — the gory studio horror; infamous for its opening sequenceTriangle (2009) — a clever, underrated British time-loop film set partly aboard a derelict linerThe Fog (1980) — John Carpenter's spectral mariners coming ashoreShip is called the Elizabeth DaneDead Calm (1989) — not a phantom ship but the same dread of the wrong vessel on an empty seaEvent Horizon (1997) — the ghost-ship template relocated to deep space (an easy pivot to the sci-fi end of the show)The Terror (AMC, 2018) — the Franklin expedition as slow-burn horror; ice-locked rather than adrift, but the same DNANews'World-first' vaccine designed by artificial intelligence - BBC News World first: Cambridge researchers have created a vaccine whose key component was designed entirely by AI — and it's already been tested in humans.Big ambition: The vaccine targets all coronaviruses — including future variants and animal viruses — to get ahead of the next pandemic before it starts.How it works: AI analysed genetic codes from dozens of coronaviruses and designed a "super-antigen" that trains the immune system against the whole family at once.Early trials: Safe in 39 people, with a larger 200-person study now underway. Immune response so far is modest, but scientists are calling it genuinely exciting.What's next: The same AI approach is now being used to develop vaccines for flu, bird flu, and Ebola — with experts calling AI a potential "game changer" for global health.Anthropic shuts down Fable, Mythos models following Trump admin directive - Ars Technica Inside the fight over Claude Mythos 5 | The Verge Trump policies have accelerated the take up of renewable energy, and development of Nation based AI. Brian Johnson, special effects giant has passed away. The designer of the Eagle from Space:19992001,Stingray, Empire Strikes Back, Alien.Grainger ThingsPhiladelphia Experiment. This fortnight we are recommending:Andi: Boards Of Canada - InfernoClarkson’s Farm season 5Widow’s Bay - Apple TVEven the Good Girls Will Cry - Melissa Auf der Maur Kris: The Mother of All ConsOne Person Found This Helpful (Season 4)Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet (ITVX) Hypermarination. Thanks for listening, see you next time, under the canvas! If you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 19m
  2. The World's Deadliest Air Disaster

    May 29

    The World's Deadliest Air Disaster

    Today we’re taking a steep-dive into the world’s deadliest air disaster. We’ll look at what happened, who was affected, the causes, the things we’ve learned from it, and how a stream of events, not one single action, can eventually lead to disaster. We’ll examine the environment, the airlines themselves, what happened in the cockpit and who were the crews involved. We’ll look at Air Traffic Control and ask the all important question, “who was to blame?” We'll take a look at the events of that fateful day, as well as our usual features as Andi brings us the latest Tech News and Kris brings us more tales from the strange goings-on from the worlds of conspiracy, mystery and Cold War with Grainger Things. This fortnight we are recommending:Kris: The Crash (Netflix, 2026).Signs of Murder: A small town in Scotland, a miscarriage of justice and the search for the truthStanley 40oz Water bottle with StrawAndi: In the Eye of the Storm: Chasers - Discovery UKBlue Moon Safari - Air. Remix album by Vegyn, heard a track on You Friends & Neighbors (Apple TV)The Boroughs - Netflix Links to things we discussed:Tenerife Air Disaster WIKIAir Crash Investigation: Tenerife Air Disaster (Season 16, Episode 03, 2018). YouTube (4k, 60fps.).Episode IMDBGimli Glider - WikipediaThe Electric Ferrari Luce Is Finally Here | WIRED If you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 12m
  3. Quatermass

    May 15

    Quatermass

    Hello and welcome back to season 2 episode 7 of Nerdist Camp. Today we have all our usual features, a deep dive into our main topic, updates on the world of tech and geekdom, and of course Grainger Things, where we look at the unusual, unexplained or declassified from history. The barracks of the nerdist camp has a sealed perimeter, because we’re deploying into one of the most influential broadcasts in British science-fiction history. Before Doctor Who, and well before the modern era of televised space horror, there was a transmission that rattled living rooms, redefining what science fiction could do on screen: The Quatermass Experiment. First broadcast in 1953, Nigel Kneale’s story follows Professor Bernard Quatermass and his rocket research team as they recover a spacecraft that returns from orbit… and it is not empty. What comes back instead is a cosmic contamination that slowly turns the single survivor into something no longer human. Today we are raiding the archives and inspecting this early Cold War-era nightmare. We’re asking what made this serial so unsettling for its time, how it shaped decades of British genre storytelling, and why its influence still echoes through modern sci-fi and horror. So fall in and keep your comms open—and welcome to Nerdist Camp. We’ll look at how it moved from TV to film, from B&W to colour, and why it’s still one of the best British Science Fiction franchises.  Related Media You Might LikeThe Stone Tape (BBC, 1972) — Kneale's other masterpiece, ghosts as recordings in stoneBeasts (ATV, 1976) — Kneale anthology, includes the brilliant "Baby"Threads (1984) — not Kneale, but the natural endpoint of British apocalyptic TVGhostwatch (1992) — owes its DNA to Kneale's mockumentary instinctsAtomfall (2025) — Rebellion's post-apocalyptic videogame, openly Kneale-influencedMark Gatiss's various documentaries on British horror and ghost stories Links to things we talked about:The Cold War Nuclear TowerQuatermass — WikipediaNigel Kneale — WikipediaThe Quatermass Experiment (1953) — WikipediaQuatermass and the Pit — WikipediaBFI Nigel Kneale collectionEDC Belt Pouch (various colours)Spitfire notebookSwan Nordic air cooler This fortnight we are recommending Kris: This is a Bomb: The Nevada Casino Heist (BBC iPlayer)Nuclear War: A Scenario, by Annie Jacobson (Penguin)Once Upon a Time in the West…Country, by Tony Hawks (Audible) Andi: The Pitt - HBO MaxFor All Mankind season 5 - Apple TVProject Hail Mary - home releaseThe Expanse (Prime Video)Quatermass and the Pit - JustWatchWar of the worlds Thanks for listening, see you next time, under the canvas! If you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 21m

  4. Apr 24

    Top 5 Films

    We all know a good film when we see one. And we sure as hell know a bad one when we see one. But some films go deeper than that. Some films challenge the boundaries of good or bad. For some films, quality doesn’t matter, especially if they don’t age well. Some films are not about the content, the acting, the dated SFX. Some films transcend that to become part of our very being, the films that define and route us in a moment from our past.  Yes, today we’re not talking about the greatest films of all time (although we may think they are), today we’re talking about the films that mean something to us. The films that transport us to a time in our lives when they meant something to us. Today Andi and I look at our very personal Top 5 Films, what they mean to us, and why quality is irrelevant when a film is part of your soul. You'll have to listen to the episode, of course, to find out what we chose! This fortnight we are recommendingAndi: For All Mankind season 5. Incredible.S4: The Bob Lazar StoryKate Nash on Davina Macoll’s podcast “Beginning Again” Kris: Untold: Chess Mates (Netflix) Links mentioned in this episodeSci-Fi Graveyard (10 Classic Sci-Fi films that define the genre, but you probably missed). S4: The Bob Lazar StoryVoyager 1Coyote vs. ACME | Official Trailer - YouTubeUK powers on supercomputer that runs 21 quintillion operations/secBluetooth tracker hidden in a postcard and mailed to a warship exposed its location — $5 gadget put a $585 million Dutch ship at risk for 24 hours | Tom's HardwareOlight 19th Anniversary Sale: Baton Pro Ultra and an ArkLite Pro Ultra. DAP (Mp3 player): Hiby R4  If you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 18m
  5. Artemis II

    Apr 10

    Artemis II

    Have you ever had one of those holidays where you’re all stuck in a caravan together, with the environment outside being so hostile that you daren't venture out? As if that wasn’t bad enough, just as you’re heading to your destination, the toilet backs up. Well, imagine that scenario but instead you’re orbiting the moon, and they haven’t even given you a bunk bed! Yes, it’s been 50 years, but finally, we’ve been back to the Moon! For the first time in over fifty years, four humans have successfully flown around the Moon. NASA's Artemis II mission launched on April 1st, 2026, and this week the crew completed their lunar flyby, breaking the all-time record for the furthest any human has ever been from Earth. They're currently on their way home. So what actually happened up there, why did it take this long to get back, and what does it all mean for the future of human space exploration? Related Media You Might LikeFor All Mankind (Apple TV+) — alternate history where the Space Race never ended. Excellent.Apollo 13 — still holds up, and weirdly relevant given the distance record connection.NASA+ / NASA YouTube — the live flyby coverage was genuinely worth watching.The Martian (Ridley Scott, 2015) — if the Moon conversation leads to Mars.The Right Stuff (Philip Kaufman, 1983) NewsProject Hail Mary cinema successNick Pope, UK UFO expert passed awayClaude: We formed Project Glasswing because of capabilities we’ve observed in a new frontier model trained by Anthropic that we believe could reshape cybersecurity. Claude Mythos2 Preview is a general-purpose, unreleased frontier model that reveals a stark fact: AI models have reached a level of coding capability where they can surpass all but the most skilled humans at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities. Grainger ThingsWhen Soviet Youth Bootlegged Western Rock Music on Discarded X-Rays: Hear Original Audio Samples | Open Culture So yeah, you could listen to The Beatles “I’m looking through you”, whilst having an X-Ray of someone’s broken bones on the turntable.  This fortnight we are recommendingAndi: See how far you’ve travelled through space so far in your lifetime - Cosmic Odometer - Space Travel CalculatorBBC Audio | 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis IIFoundation, Apple TVShrinking season 3 Kris: Public Service Broadcasting - The Race for SpacePink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (1972)Tangerine Dream - ZeitMichael Jackson: An American Tragedy (BBC iplayer) “Right about now - ish” (anniversaries we might have missed) Apple tuned 50 on 1st of April (Apple: The First 50 Years: Amazon.co.uk)Portmeirion turned 100 on 2nd of April (Sir Clough Williams-Ellis) Links mentioned in this episode How a piece of military tech changed music forever - YouTubeProject Glasswing: Securing critical software for the AI era \ AnthropicOstation Pro 2 (Battery charging, testing and management)ISS Live Now (Mac)ISS Live Now (Android, also available as a Family version)NASA TV (YouTube)If you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 5m
  6. Silent Running

    Mar 21

    Silent Running

    It’s lonely out in space. It’s lonelier when you’re a plant-loving hippy and the rest of the crew not only hate you, but they’re totally indifferent about soil, plants and wildlife. When you’re only friends are droids and plants, but you feel like the one man to save what’s left of the Earth, in the hope that one day, there might be trees, lakes and nature there once again.  Today we trade the Nerdist Camp tent for a dome. So grab your watering can, load up the buggy, grab Huey, Dewey and Louis and head for the biodomes, but not too fast mind! For today we take a deep dive into the film, and the legacy of its message. Yes, today we look at Douglas Trumbull’s 1972 hippy epic, Silent Running.  This fortnight we are recommending Kris: Mike and the Mechanics debut album (featuring Silent Running). Crime Next Door: The Cop, The Kidnap and the Killer (good time to explain family links to this story - Higley and the break-in at the flat). WangsplainingOnce We Were Spacemen Andi: Paradise - Disney+Monarch: Legacy of Monsters - Apple TVScrubs, season 10 on Disney+ (Kris interject with The Roses mistaken identity story, Brooklin 99)How To Get To Heaven From Belfast - NetflixDisclosure Day - new trailer If you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 5m
  7. Ghosts

    Mar 6

    Ghosts

    Have you ever worried about being scared by the ghosties, or grabbed by the ghoulies? Then today might be the chance you’ve been looking for to rip the covers off the mystery, or just stay away from that trap door. Ghost hunting has exploded in popularity over the last couple of decades, largely thanks to TV shows like Most Haunted, Ghost Adventures, and more recently countless YouTube and TikTok creators wandering around dark buildings with gadgets. But as the hobby has grown, so has the market for ghost hunting equipment, and that now includes a whole world of smartphone and tablet apps that claim to detect spirits, translate their words, or even display them on screen. So how much of this is genuine investigation, and how much is entertainment dressed up as evidence? NewsThere’s a tiny digital camera inside these retro 35mm film rolls | The VergeGhosts TV sitcom brought back to life as a feature film - BBC News This fortnight we are recommending Kris: The Roses (Jay Roach, 2025)You Heard It Here First (Chris Macausland, BBC Sounds). Ghost radio - Leopoldo GoutHunting Ghosts with Gatiss & ColesThe Anglesey Vampire Killer (Crime Next Door, BBC Sounds)A Ghost Story for Christmas Andi: The CreatorThe Last Frontier - Apple TVThe Mothman Prophecies - JustWatchRichard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf - podcast (writer of the Mothman Prophecies screenplay)Hannah Fry - AI ConfidentialKatee Sachoff Show - BSG rewatch Links Sandi Toksvig Billy Bragg records a radio broadcast and hears something very strange on Sandi's live show.If you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 12m
  8. Airships

    Feb 13

    Airships

    Hello and welcome to Nerdist Camp. Today we look at an uplifting topic, and hopefully we’ll have a filling that’s not just a load of hot air. If you’ve ever been to an American Football game in the states, or grew up in the UK in the 70s, then you’ll know exactly what we mean. They’ve been the things of dreams, and the things of nightmares. They can be uplifting or a sign of dread. Some are luxurious and made for tourists, and some are completely functional. What is their continued appeal, and why do the bad guys seem to like them so much? This may seem like an odd topic for us to cover, but as you know, we’re planning to do some deeper dives into topics this season, so it should be a “Good Year!” Yes, today we invite you to come “up, up and away in our beautiful balloon,” as we take a deep-dive into…Airships.  Airships in filmsBlack Sunday (1977)Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)A View to a Kill (1985)Blade Runner (1982)Castle in the Sky (1986)Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)Charlie Chan at the OlympicsThe Golden Compass (2007)Metropolis (1927) This fortnight we are recommendingKris: Seven Days on MarsJohn Gacy drama ITVX (tbc)The Carman Family Deaths (Netflix)Andi: Smoke & Mirrors + Other Things- The Eden HouseIt got suggested after listening to The Mission. It’s a collaborative music project, tons of people, lavish, brooding. Nice. Julian Regan features on one track. Halt & Catch Fire, - ITVXDeparture - NetflixLinks mentioned in this episodeThe Island at the Top of the WorldThe Rocketeer, Airship Explosion Black Sunday (1977)Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)A View to a Kill (1985)Blade Runner (1982)Castle in the Sky (1986)Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)Charlie Chan at the OlympicsThe Golden Compass (2007)Metropolis (1927)Wikipedia - Detailed History of AirshipsHindenburg radio coverageThe Lincolnshire Poacher - Radio StationThe Pink Floyd AirshipRare Airship PhotosIf you like what you hear, please subscribe to get notifications when each episode drops. If you'd like to suggest topics for the show, or even if you think you might be geeky enough to be a guest, then please contact the show at: nerdistcamp@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 14m
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About

Kris Grainger & Andi Elliott present a weekly podcast that aims to free the geek! Join drill sergeants Kris & Andi as they set up camp and parade all things geek for your inspection. Each week they'll be raiding the barracks for all things gaming, music, hobbies, role-play, sci-fi, astronomy, science, conspiracy, unsolved mystery, toys, comics, cosplay, film, documentary, coffee, vinyl, home recording, computers, AI, retro-tech, radiation, cold-war, history, UFO...and so on. Join us under the canvas for a delve into the world of the nerd, and make suggestions on Discord for topics and questions that you'd like us to look into. From time to time we'll have guests in the mess tent who are experts in particular topics. So keep us on your podcast provider's radar and keep your comms open, because Nerdist Camp needs you to sign up right now! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Cup The Mic Productions
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Kris Grainger & Andi Elliott
  • Show Website
    Nerdist Camp