It's me, Colin, and I come bearing bad news: Dagan is going to be gone for a few weeks. His work demands his presence over the next several Fridays, and thus I've slid (!) back into the host's chair. Joining me this week are LSM executive producer Dustin Furman, coordinator Micah Moriarty, and special guest Rick Hoeg of Hoeg Law. As always, topics vary wildly. Micah begins by talking about throwing parties and entertaining people at our home. Do we enjoy the process, or is it stressful? I go next with a deep cut (literally): Cold cuts, the glorious sliced meat that make the finest sandwiches imaginable. What are our go-tos? From there, we welcome Dustin's topic, all about our respective lives' biggest disappointments, from games, film, and TV, to work, love, and life in general. Finally, Hoeg brings up the rear with what ended up being our most-explored inquiry of the week: How we deal with fictional canon when we don't like all of it. Are we able to divorce ourselves from some of it and embrace the rest? Is "The Death of the Author" the true law of the land, or is authorial intent everything? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome back to another episode of Constellation! This week, Lockmort gets things rolling with a discussion about Online Algorithms. What are the pros and cons to the patterns we create while shopping, searching and watching content on our computers and phones? Next, Gene wants to talk about Donald Trump's guilty verdict. Now that the polarizing presidential candidate has been found guilty on all counts in his hush money case, what do we think this could mean for the United States and the world ahead of the 2024 election? Next up, David Jaffe returns to steer the conversation away from current affairs and straight towards nostalgia. Specifically, are we too quick to remember the past with rose-tinted glasses? Were the periods of time that we reflect on so fondly really that wonderful, or was it just our specific perspectives and circumstances during those years that encourage us to reminisce? And for this week's final topic, Dagan asks his cronies to remember the greatest compliments that they ever received. What are some of the nicest things that people have said to us, and which words of praise do we remember most? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome back to Constellation, Last Stand Media's conversational podcast! This week's panel offers up a thought-provoking batch of topics for discussion. Micah has been thinking about family resemblances, and she'd like the rest of the gang to share their thoughts and experiences on the topic.Which of our family members do we look like most, and which physical characteristics are we grateful for inheriting? On the other hand, which cherished genetic attributes do we feel we missed out on, and how did our children fare in the resemblance department? Next, Ben wants to talk about loyalty programs. Are we inclined to take advantage of the common corporate promise of saving money in exchange for being faithful to a specific brand or retail outfit? In our experiences, which companies offer the best monetary incentives for shopping with them, and which don't inspire much loyalty at the end of the day. Batting third, Matty shares his deep passion for post-season sports. Are we crazed and rabid fans during the playoffs, especially when our favorite teams are in the mix? How do we handle the emotional roller coaster of winning and losing with the cities and the teams that we love the most? Finally, Dagan wants to share his obsession with awesome brand names. Do we recognize when a product, company or brand has an amazing moniker? What about next level game, book and movie titles? Simply put, which stuff has the coolest and most creative names? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome back to Constellation, Last Stand Media's conversational podcast. This week's chat is packed to the brim with fun topics, so gather around the water cooler! Kicking off the discussion, Cog wants to commiserate about "that dude", aka that person in our lives that we just can't seem to gel with. Inevitably, we all have that one incompatible coworker, neighbor or friend of a friend that we'll probably never click with, and is it us or them? (Spoilers,, it's probably them). Weighing in next, Micah shares her most memorable quotes. What words of wisdom or kernels of enlightenment do we remember best, and how did we learn them? Was it the advice of a beloved family member, a movie quote or a character's line from a favorite book? For our third topic, Chris wants us to get serious about our favorite old school jokes. Just good, old fashioned set-up and punchline, like the classic comedy of yesteryear. Which timeless jokes do we simply never get tired of? Lastly, Dagan trolls his fellow podcasters and the Constellation audience with a topic purposely designed to be Not Safe For Work. Everybody is tasked with telling their best real-life R-rated story, and at least one tale is a hard NC-17! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s time for another episode of Constellation, welcome back to the discussion! This week, Colin gets things started by sharing an unbelievable tale of grand adventure featuring his dogs, Treble and Rush. Do we all create intricate and possibly fictional back stories for our pets like Colin and Micah do? Next, Dagan wants us to quiet our minds with some talk about meditation. What are the potential benefits of embracing the ancient practice of TM, and is it worth exploring what all the hype is about? As the party rages on, Micah breaks the ice with some conversation starters. Will these ideas for encouraging stimulating dialogue make us master minglers or awkward social outcasts? Finally, Dustin wants to rap about the ongoing beef between two of the world’s biggest hip-hop stars. As the battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake continues to escalate, the gang takes an opportunity to discuss the feud and all things hip-hop, past and present. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Once all wings report in, Commander Gene leads the squadron in a discussion about Star Wars video games, from the earliest titles to the most recent entries. With countless games released over the course of five decades, which Star Wars titles are the most fun, the most difficult and the most forgettable. Vice-Admiral Brad wants to get a few things off his chest concerning the Star Wars 'Special Edition' films. The 1997 rereleases of the original three Star Wars movies is a divisive topic, and Brad and company shoot first with some real talk about messing with perfection. Grand Moff Colin picks our brains about the man who started it all, George Lucas. Is the inventor of Star Wars a wizard or just a crazy old man? Finally, Darth Dagster shares his plan for how the Star Wars films should have gone after 1983's Return of the Jedi. He may finally get the chance to run the show over at Lucasfilm after this one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome back to Constellation, Last Stand Media's conversational podcast. This week, Colin Moriarty slips into the host's chair, and is joined by his wife, Punching Up co-host Micah Moriarty, and the Defining Dukes themselves, MrMattyPlays and Lord Cognito. As usual, the topics are varied. Considering the makeup of the cast today, Colin kicks things off with an inquiry into Xbox's catastrophic hardware situation. Can the brand survive as-is while selling fewer than a million units a quarter? Inspired by his new multimedia YouTube project, Matty wants to talk about new ventures we've undertaken, or perhaps still plan to in the future. Leaping off of that is Cog, who recounts important milestones in his life, and wonders which moments are truly the most important in getting us to our respective today. Finally, Micah wraps things up with one of her great passions: The grill. It turns out that no matter what Micah's doing, she'd Rather Be Grilling.Get 20% off your order with free shipping at https://www.buyraycon.com/constellation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to an unusual episode of Constellation. It is I, Colin! Some time ago, I expressed that I'd like to pursue 'themed' episodes on occasion, and indeed we pursued such a program with episode 60, which was purely political in nature. This time around, I wanted to cover another of my deep passions -- music -- and I wanted to do so with the perfect companion: My best friend, Ramon. Ramon is the writer and musician behind all of Last Stand's theme music, yes, and it's true that we met as freshmen at Northeastern due to our shared love of 311. But, in his own right, he's also an accomplished and experienced working musician with excellent insight into the business, who knows obscure bands and records like I know Vita games, and who's currently toiling away on a new project of his own. We touch on a lot of topics, and we do so loosely, so... no timestamps (sorry). Click play to listen to us wax about Coachella's lame crowds and the grind of touring, the rise of the mega-festival, how the '90s helped fashion our musical tastes, the downside to the streaming economy, how the pandemic affected live music, and so much more. We discuss bands like No Doubt, Limp Bizkit, Blur, Ben Folds Five, and the Deftones, and touch on some non-music fare, too, like pro wrestling and baseball. Please enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's time for another Constellation, folks. Welcome back to the conversation! Micah kicks off this week's craziness with a fitting topic: Nuts! Eaten by the handful or as an ingredient in a wide variety of foods, which nuts tend to be our favorites, and which aren't worth their salt? Next, Chris leads the gang in a discussion about adaptability. What experiences have we had adjusting to new conditions, and who do we admire for demonstrating the talent and ability to do just that? For this week's third topic, Colin would like to talk about Nintendo. As the storied video game giant continues to ride the wave of tremendous success, the team breaks down Nintendo's past, present and predictions for their future. Dagan brings the festivities to a close with some stories and concerns about scams. With the harsh uptick in frequency and sophistication, what experiences have we had with scams and being taken advantage of by those shadowy entities trying to steal our personal data? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s time for a themed episode of Constellation with the Brothers Moriarty, LSM’s Executive Producer Dustin Furman, and Summon Sign host Brad Ellis! This week, we’re focusing our topics around Last Stand’s recent trip to New York City for Sacred Symbols 300. Dustin wonders what our favorite local delicacies are when traveling. Dagan asks who our favorite content creators are and if we’d be willing to see them live. Brad ponders our favorite spots to visit in NYC. Colin reflects on his past living in the city, and whether suburban living can be argued as inferior. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices