The episode starts locally with Dave highlighting Stormfreak, a Pittsburgh-area weather enthusiast who has built a following on Reddit by offering practical, level-headed forecasts without the sensationalism that often accompanies severe weather coverage. That leads into a bigger conversation about how Reddit, YouTube, and independent creators increasingly fill information gaps once occupied by traditional specialty television.

Sorg then takes a trip back to the video-store era with Binge Buster, a web experience that lets users browse movies available on their existing streaming subscriptions in an interface inspired by wandering through the shelves of a physical rental store.

Gaming takes over a large part of the conversation, including EA going private in a massive Saudi-backed deal, Netflix getting an extended GTA 6 preview, Atari showing signs of financial improvement, the possibility of accessing Xbox and PC Game Pass titles on Linux and Mac through the XODUS project, new content for the original Quake, and Sorg's experience comparing Xbox cloud gaming with NVIDIA GeForce NOW.

Then things get weird in the best possible way: Diablo is heading to amusement-park Halloween events, while a permanent Freddy Fazbear's Pizza experience complete with animatronics is planned for American Dream.

Dave also shares his latest experience with Adobe Project Indigo, including computational photography, AI photo critiques, and the increasingly blurry line between traditional editing and generative AI. The episode wraps with two ideas that bring physical experiences back into a digital world: Pittsburgh's Lost Lizard renting VHS, DVD, and even Betamax tapes, and Nature Calls Run, an upcoming crowdsourced app designed to help runners, cyclists, travelers, and people with medical needs locate bathrooms, water, and other resources.

Stories, Gadgets & Topics Discussed

• 300–600mm iPhone zoom lens — Dave points listeners toward iPhonography Podcast co-host Greg McMillan's detailed look at an enormous telephoto solution for iPhone photography.
• Stormfreak and Pittsburgh weather on Reddit — Dave highlights the local forecaster's calm, practical approach to Pittsburgh weather and the community that has formed around his posts. They discuss how independent online weather coverage can sometimes be more useful than national television coverage when people need highly local information.
• The changing role of specialty media — Sorg and Dave compare today's creator-driven information sources with the original promise of channels like The Weather Channel, Discovery, TLC, and Food Network.

• Binge Buster — Sorg tries a streaming discovery site that recreates some of the experience of browsing a video store. Users select the streaming services they already subscribe to and browse movies through virtual box art, descriptions, genres, trailers, staff picks, and more.

  https://bingebuster.net/

• Awesome Person of the Week: Lewis Latimer — Dave profiles the inventor, draftsman, engineer, and patent expert whose work intersected with both Alexander Graham Bell's telephone patent and the development of more durable electric-light filaments.

• Slice on Broadway pizza sauce — Dave discovers jars of Slice on Broadway's original pizza sauce while shopping at Labriola's Italian Market.

• EA goes private — Chachi's Video Game Minute covers EA completing its reported $55 billion sale to a Saudi-backed buyer and what private ownership might mean for the future of EA's games and monetization.

• Netflix and GTA 6 — Netflix is set to feature an extended look at Grand Theft Auto VI on August 27, prompting discussion about whether GTA really needs any additional publicity.

• Atari's financial comeback — Atari reports its strongest annual revenue in roughly a decade, giving Sorg and Dave an opportunity to talk about the strange history of the Atari name, its changing ownership, and the collection of gaming properties associated with it over the years.

• Xbox games potentially coming to Linux and Mac through XODUS — Sorg discusses an open-source reverse-engineering project designed to make compatible Xbox and PC titles accessible beyond Windows, including the possibility of accessing portions of a user's existing Microsoft gaming library.

• Xbox backward compatibility — The conversation touches on original Xbox and Xbox 360 games potentially becoming increasingly accessible through Microsoft's PC ecosystem.

• New Quake content decades later — Quake continues receiving new content around its 30th anniversary, giving players another reason to revisit the classic first-person shooter.

• NVIDIA GeForce NOW vs. Xbox cloud gaming — Sorg compares his experience streaming games like Doom: The Dark Ages and Forza Horizon, finding GeForce NOW's higher-end hardware particularly impressive for demanding, fast-moving games.

• Do you still need a gaming PC? — Cloud gaming raises a bigger question: if a service already supports hundreds of games in your library and provides continuously upgraded hardware, does spending thousands on a dedicated gaming PC still make sense?

• Diablo invades Cedar Point and Six Flags — Blizzard's Diablo becomes part of the Halloween amusement-park experience, leading to a conversation about licensed haunted attractions and the changing amusement-park industry.

• Cedar Fair/Six Flags consolidation and disappearing amusement parks — Dave looks back at the history of older amusement parks, including Pittsburgh-area memories of White Swan Park and the larger trend of parks disappearing as land was redeveloped.

• Freddy Fazbear's Pizza becomes real — A permanent Freddy Fazbear's Pizza experience featuring animatronic stage shows is planned for American Dream in 2027. Naturally, Sorg and Dave wonder whether anybody involved has actually learned the lesson of Five Nights at Freddy's.

• American Dream as the modern destination mall — The conversation expands into how malls are evolving from shopping centers into entertainment destinations with theme parks, water parks, skiing, restaurants, attractions, wrestling events, and other experiences.

• Adobe Project Indigo — Dave continues experimenting with Adobe's computational photography app, particularly challenging lighting situations and shooting directly toward a sunset.

• AI-powered photography reviews — Project Indigo can analyze a photo and provide feedback, giving photographers another way to evaluate composition and possible improvements.

• When an AI edit becomes a different photograph — Dave demonstrates an AI edit that substantially changes clouds and the sky, prompting an important conversation about the difference between enhancing a photograph and generating new visual information.

• AI quietly becoming another editing tool — Sorg shares his experience using AI to quickly create client graphics and discusses how generative tools increasingly feel less like a separate novelty and more like another part of a production workflow.

• Lost Lizard brings video rentals back to Pittsburgh — A Lawrenceville business is renting VHS tapes, DVDs, Betamax tapes, and even retro video games. The concept triggers plenty of nostalgia for independent video stores and their wonderfully strange horror collections.

• Physical media versus digital ownership — Reports of purchased digital movies disappearing from user libraries lead to a larger discussion about what consumers actually own when they "buy" a digital movie.

• Movies Anywhere and fragmented digital libraries — Sorg discusses the usefulness of synchronizing eligible purchases across services while acknowledging that licensing can still make digital ownership complicated.

• Maybe it's time to buy DVDs again — The uncertainty of digital licenses gives physical media another unexpected advantage: nobody can remotely remove a disc from your shelf.

• Nature Calls Run — An upcoming Pittsburgh-created app will crowdsource public restrooms, water sources, and other useful resources for runners, cyclists, travelers, parents, and anyone suddenly asking the most important question of the day: "Where can I go?"

  https://naturecallsapp.com/

• Restroom access as an accessibility and medical issue — The app also plans to educate users about restroom-access laws affecting people with conditions including Crohn's disease and IBS.

• GCXC running events — Dave also discusses upcoming Pittsburgh-area races and the community surrounding GCXC events.

  https://gcxc.com/events-pa

Support AwesomeCast:
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Our crew discuss the decline of physical media for WWE and wrestling in general, and whether there is still a market for DVDs, VHS tapes, etc. Reese and some of the guests don't have extensive wrestling media collections.

880 Champion Amateur Wrestler Reese Hayes talks about his background in filmmaking, including a web series he makes called "Cobblestoned" that can be found on YouTube under "Dashing Agent". He discusses how making videos and movies gets him interested in the production side of wrestling. https://www.youtube.com/@reesewho

Rob shares details about his experience working on the crew for the recent AEW show Collision in Erie, PA. He helps run cables and work with the camera crew. They talk about the interactions between talent and crew at AEW compared to WWE, and how Rob knows many of the wrestlers backstage from the indie scene.

There is discussion about camera work in wrestling, including how to properly film alongside the action in the ring and move out of the way when needed. Reese and Rob can relate that to their own experiences filming matches.

The guests share some recent lessons learned in wrestling: it's very difficult but rewarding (Reese); production people in wrestling often know and work with each other frequently across companies (Rob); wrestling references are everywhere, even in video games (Joe).

Check out the Indy Wrestling US Network at www.indywrestling.network. For a short time, get a 7-day FREE trial to access a growing collection of content.

**A special shout out to our Manager Level Patreon supporter Bradley Ruthers (@HeelBradley)

Join us LIVE at 10 PM ET (after WWE NXT) on Facebook, Youtube, and Twitch!

You can support the show at Patreon.com/wrestlingmayhemshow! Go to wrestlingmayhemshow.com for more entertainment!

Thanks to Basick Sickness (@basicksickness) for the awesome intro for the show

A new brainiac joins the fray. This time it's Ben Dietels who drops by as the guest co-host.

Special thanks to :
BLUFFS for "Alternate Reality", the theme to our show for many reasons

Tell us about your thrift hauls at thriftypodcast@yahoo.com

I'm sentimentally attached to things you've forgotten, it's time to get THRIFTY!

The THRIFTY podcast is part of the SORGATRON MEDIA NETWORK
FACEBOOK: THRIFTYpodcast
TWITTER: @THRIFTYpodcast
YOUTUBE: @THRIFTYpodcast

This Week's Thrifty Finds / Discussion Topics :

• Horror Movie Haul : Poltergeist (1982), The Crazies (1973), Dressed to Kill (1980)
• Mindhunter (2018) Parking Sign
• How much we would spend on movie props that we fancied.
• All. Spooky. Voices. I've. Made.
• Halloween Haunted Houses.

THRIFT TALES
Hear second hand stories from all around the world.
Part 2 of the story started last episode. A young man is working alone at a thrift store when suddenly...he can't move or open his eyes..and weird static spurts from the loud speakers.

eBAY ALERT
What impressive pieces went up for sale, quietly.
Horror Movie Props are trending! Find out which ones you can buy.

Special thanks to :
Swampwalk for "Big Bro", the theme to our show for many reasons.

Tell us about your thrift hauls at thriftypodcast@yahoo.com

I'm sentimentally attached to things you've forgotten, it's time to get THRIFTY!

The THRIFTY podcast is part of the SORGATRON MEDIA NETWORK
FACEBOOK: THRIFTYpodcast
TWITTER: @THRIFTYpodcast

This Week's Thrifty Finds / Discussion Topics :

• Gregg's VHS Collection.
• Various Horror Films from the 1980's.
• Kelsey's Summer Beach Plans.
• The sexual nature of Stephen King's Literature.
• Toddy's first adult film and what abandoned house he saw it in.
• An in depth look and review of Are You Afraid of the Dark's The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle.

BUILD YOUR OWN BACKYARD FUN ZONE
You have $15 Dollars to purchase second hand items for your perfect backyard.

• Gregg finally gets a chance to blueprint his summer outside.

Special thanks to :
BLUFFS for "Alternate Reality", the theme to our show for many reasons. (https://steveberes.bandcamp.com)

Tell us about your thrift hauls at thriftypodcast@yahoo.com

I'm sentimentally attached to things you've forgotten, it's time to get THRIFTY!

The THRIFTY podcast is part of the SORGATRON MEDIA NETWORK
FACEBOOK: THRIFTYpodcast
TWITTER: @THRIFTYpodcast

Krause returns to the big purple couch this week to show off some of his new toys. He is, of course, joined by our in-house gadget hounds Chilla, Katie, and Sorg. This week’s topics include:

Katie is fresh off the Millvale Music Festival and sharing some quick thoughts about the weekend.
Thanks to PCTV for picking up Awesome Chat as part of their programming!
Krause has an Awesome Thing of the Week – LIVE from McKees Rocks with his Nest doorbell.
Katie is sharing the Nintendo Labo mash-up with Jimmy Fallon and Ariana Grande as her Awesome Thing of the Week.
Microsoft released some information about Surface Hub 2, and it made Chilla’s Awesome Thing of the Week.
Sorg’s Awesome Thing of the Week is just down the block from the studio. He got a sweet tour of the Tolin FX space when he stopped by.
Speaking of local, Sorg is sharing Honeycomb Credit as an option for crowdsource funding for businesses.
Pittsburgh has an eSports team, and we’re learning more about the gaming space because of it.
Boston Dynamics’ creepy robot dog is getting creepier – and smarter.
Ryan Reynolds dressed as a unicorn is almost as amazing as him as Deadpool.
Snapchat is getting started with ads that you can’t skip.
Smellavision is a step closer – with the Sensor Wake alarm clock.
Krause is on the verge of cordcutting – and we’re going to talk him over the ledge!
To DVR, or not to DVR, that is the true question on this week’s podcast.
The show may have turned into an intervention to address Katie’s VHS lifestyle.
After the show remember to:

Eat at Slice on Broadway (@Pgh_Slice) if you are in the Pittsburgh area! It is Awesome! (sliceonbroadway.com)

Want to be part of our studio audience? Hit us up at awesomecast@sorgatronmedia.com and we’ll save you a seat!

Join our AwesomeCast Facebook Group to see what we’re sharing and to join the discussion!

Follow these awesome people on Twitter: Krause (@KrazyKrause), Katie Dudas (@Kdudders), John Chichilla (@chilla), and Sorg (@Sorgatron)

June 5th is a big day for us! It’s our 8-year anniversary PLUS our 400th episode! (We’ll be doing something fun for the occasion. You should join us.)

Have you seen our AwesomeTips videos?

You can support the show at Patreon.com/awesomecast!

Remember to check out our friends at the River’s Edge (@RiversEdgePGH) and The 405 Media (@The405Radio) who replay the show on their stream throughout the week!

Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment; and view us livestreaming Tuesdays around 7:00 PM EST!

This Week's Thrifty Finds / Discussion Topics :

• The Ryan Thompson Cassette Tape gets an official release date.
• A fellow customer deciding to floss with garbage found in the Goodwill Outlet bins.
• Another fellow customer attempted to steal merchandise from our cart.
• XBox 360 (Microsoft, 08-09 Era)
• Book of Bond ; Or Every Man His Own 007 (Kingsley Amis, 1965)
• Mastering Witchcraft (Paul Huson, 1970)
• WWF Can You Take The Heat? (Jim Ross & Friends 2000)

BUILD YOUR OWN BACKYARD FUN ZONE

• You have $15 Dollars to purchase second hand items for your perfect backyard.

• WOULD YOU BUY IT? (now with intro!)
  We answer Yes/No to items recommended for us to purchase.

• Monster Inc Tent, Coffee Can Wreath, Monster Truck Merchandise Etc.

Special thanks to :
BLUFFS for "Alternate Reality", the theme to our show for many reasons. (https://steveberes.bandcamp.com)

Tell us about your thrift hauls at thriftypodcast@yahoo.com

I'm sentimentally attached to things you've forgotten, it's time to get THRIFTY!
The THRIFTY podcast is part of the SORGATRON MEDIA NETWORK
FACEBOOK: THRIFTYpodcast
TWITTER: @THRIFTYpodcast