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culturecombine.bsky.social
Culture Combine
@culturecombine.bsky.social
7 followers 9 following 97 posts
Tech, news, games, entertainment, culture. Combined.

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culturecombine.bsky.social
When you're at a #StarTrek convention you find out that a lot of the cast has been bonding for a really, really long time. And that makes panels fun, intimate, and a little bit crazy. Gates McFadden and Brent Spiner's time at #ST-CHI was no different.
Captain's Log ST-CHI: Brent Spiner and Gates McFadden Dream of Beaming to Your Living Room
When a fan asked the guests if they thought Star Trek would still be around in 100 years, they both thought it would. Spiner said, “I’d be willing to say, that I do think that there will be some Star ...
www.culturecombine.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:31 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
Now that we've beamed back from #ST-CHI we've got plenty of #StarTrek tea and it's hot as Earl Grey. Let's kick it off with #LowerDecks and how we spent our time with Gabrielle Ruiz, aka T'Lyn.
Captain's Log, ST-CHI: Gabrielle Ruiz kicks off the Convention with Lower Decks Flair
T’Lyn was always a special character because when she became a series regular in Lower Decks season 4, she was the first novel Vulcan main character in 23 years. She also filled in as more of a “strai...
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November 25, 2025 at 6:16 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
We're at the final day of ST-CHI Trek to Chicago, Shatner is on stage with a sushi bag lunch, and what the hell even is a microphone? Pure chaos served with love the way only Shatner could.
November 23, 2025 at 8:42 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
Oh hey, Star Trek people. You gonna head out to @creationent.bsky.social's ST-CHI: Trek to Chicago?

Cuz y'know, we're HUGE Trekkies and we WILL be on the floor all weekend.

You should go, too.
RED ALERT! ST-CHI: Trek to Chicago 2025 Beams in Just Before the Holidays
You wouldn't think that the holidays and conventions go together. I mean, there's con traffic, some of which kept us from The Breakfast Club even hours before the floor opened, then there's "late Nove...
www.culturecombine.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:32 AM
culturecombine.bsky.social
It hits different when you've grown up with the music.

It's a lot of fun when the band and the audience appreciate each other.

That's why Minus the Bear at the The Metro was something special.

Photos/words: @aaroncynic.bsky.social

www.culturecombine.com/post/minus-t...
Minus the Bear at Metro
“You know, they’re dad rock now,” my brother joked to me as we walked down Clark Street on Saturday, November 15th. The air was brisk but I still had a little bit of sweat dripping down my face after ...
www.culturecombine.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:26 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
Shopkeep til you drop, cuz Moonlighters 2 is releasing in Early Access!

We've got the preview hot off the YouTubes for your viewing pleasure!

Enjoy!

youtu.be/MkxbSPAvnPM?...
Moonlighters 2 Preview
YouTube video by Culture Combine
youtu.be
November 17, 2025 at 2:16 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
Line up a scary point and click for some Halloween fun with Concierge. Here's our full review:
Surreal Point and Click Concierge is Challenging, Boring
Despite my admonitions, Concierge might be worth checking out if it ticks your boxes. It’s definitely a unique game, and for the gamer that’s seen everything, Concierge might just have something new f...
www.culturecombine.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:54 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
We'd send you candy but ... have you seen the prices? So how about for a Halloween treat we give YOU a Halloween playlist you might not be tired of already.

It's rowdy, it's surprising, it's coming from all of us here in Chicago with love.

Rock out.
Mission:Playlist - Halloween
All that aside, you probably have a little bit of party monster in you still, and here from the banks of Lake Michigan in beautiful and not actually a warzone Chicago comes a Halloween playlist put to...
www.culturecombine.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:27 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
Hot off the You...tubes...it's a video review of the highly anticipated sequel to Escape Simulator - Escape Simulator 2!

See what we thought, or read the full review at CultureCombine.com
Escape Simulator 2 Video Review
YouTube video by Culture Combine
www.youtube.com
October 27, 2025 at 3:15 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
New video just dropped on our Youtube - this time we're taking a look at @dotemu.bsky.social 's latest game, Absolum.

Don't miss it!
Absolum Proves Dotemu Offers More Than Nostalgia Bait
YouTube video by Culture Combine
youtu.be
October 20, 2025 at 8:51 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
It's that time of year when young journalists' thoughts turn to favorite things of the year. Thing is, we might have stumbled on our favorite trivia game of the decade in the process with @leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social . Sometimes the hype is for a reason.
The League of the Lexicon is a Superb Choice for Word Lovers and Trivia Fiends Alike
So here’s me thinking that League of the Lexicon will be a breeze, and I’ll crush my foes, see them driven before me and all that. But League of the Lexicon is fun not only because it has a fun mixtur...
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October 18, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by Culture Combine
plussone.bsky.social
This is the crowd that’s still streaming into Grant Park for Chicago #NoKings. Photo: @aaroncynic.bsky.social
Big crowd in the street with signs and banners
October 18, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Reposted by Culture Combine
plussone.bsky.social
#NoKings Chicago. 📸: @aaroncynic.bsky.social
October 18, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Reposted by Culture Combine
aaroncynic.bsky.social
Also please follow @plussone.bsky.social who's sending out some of my photos and video since it's becoming increasingly difficult do to service issues
October 18, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by Culture Combine
aaroncynic.bsky.social
The #NoKings rally in Grant Park is impossibly huge. Tens of thousands of people here. Hundreds of folks are still streaming in.
A photo of the crowd at the no kings rally in Chicago at Grant Park A photo of people marching on a street in Chicago
October 18, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Reposted by Culture Combine
aaroncynic.bsky.social
Alright yall I've been trying to post from #NoKings on Chicago where there are thousands rallying right now but service is spotty at best. This will be the thread for the day depending on what I can get out
October 18, 2025 at 5:26 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
You ever mean to get around to listening to more from a band and just didn't have time?

One of our staff members did. And that band was Cake.

Read on for his results:
Blind Spot: Cake Retrospective
Welcome to Blind Spot, where we take time to dig into something big in the cultural zeitgeist we might have missed. A retrospective that’s also a first time perspective. What’s old to you, is new to s...
www.culturecombine.com
October 15, 2025 at 7:14 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
Dotemu's great at nostalgia, but with Absolum, they show they're also great at original concepts, with a roguelike/beat 'em up mashup that's quickly become one of our favorite new games of the year.
Absolum Proves Dotemu Offers More Than Nostalgia Bait
Absolum is one of my games of the year. I have a feeling it's slipping under the radar a bit, but I hope it’s successful enough that Dotemu keeps working on these new IPs, because their first truly no...
www.culturecombine.com
October 13, 2025 at 4:58 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
Federal judges issued restraining orders that prohibit National Guard from deploying in IL and protect the First Amendment rights of peaceful protests still ongoing in Chicago.

READ MORE:
Federal Judges Issue Restraining Orders Prohibiting National Guard From Deploying in Illinois and Protecting First Amendment Rights as Protests Continue in Chicago
Judge Perry said that deploying the National Guard on the streets of Chicago would only make an already volatile situation worse. She said that troops are “not trained in de-escalation or other extrem...
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October 10, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Reposted by Culture Combine
jimdaleywrites.bsky.social
I'm at the scene where ICE abducted multiple people from Lincoln and Foster this morning.

A WGN producer was among the people taken, allegedly because she was among a group of bystanders who tried to intervene. ICE agents hit this car while making their getaway.
October 10, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Reposted by Culture Combine
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
BREAKING: Federal judge issues a TRO in the Northern District of Illinois (including Chicago and the Broadview ICE facility), providing protections for protesters and journalists covering the protests.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Some of the key elements:
1. It is hereby ORDERED that Defendants,' their officers, agents, assigns, and all persons acting in concert with them (hereafter referred to as "Federal Agents"), are temporarily ENJOINED in this judicial district from: Dispersing, arresting, threatening to arrest, threatening or using physical force against any person whom they know or reasonably should know is a Journalist, unless Defendants have probable cause to believe that the individual has committed a crime. Defendants may order a Journalist to change location to avoid disrupting law enforcement, ' President Trump, one of the named Defendants, is not included in this Order. 1 Case: 1:25-cv-12173 Document #: 42 Filed: 10/09/25 Page 2 of 6 PagelD #:836 as long as the Journalist has an objectively reasonable time to comply and an objectively reasonable opportunity to report and observe; b. Issuing a crowd dispersal order requiring any person to leave a public place that they lawfully have a right to be, unless dispersal is justified by exigent circumstances as defined by Department of Homeland Security Use of Force Policy (updated Feb. 6, 2023), Sections III.F and XII.E; С. For purposes of this Order, a crowd dispersal order is a lawful command given by a Federal Agent for all persons to leave a designated area when three or more persons are committing acts of disorderly conduct that are likely to cause substantial harm in the immediate vicinity; d. Using riot control weapons including kinetic impact projectiles (KIPs), Compressed Air Launchers (e.g., PIS and FN303), Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) Spray, CS gas, CN gas, or other chemical irritants, 40 mm Munitions Launchers, less-lethal shotguns, Less-Lethal Specialty Impact-Chemical Munitions (LLSI-CM), Controlled Noise and Light Distraction Devices (CNLDDs), Electronic Control Weapons (ECWs) - on members of the press, protesters, or religious practitioners who are not posing an immediate threat to the safety of a law enforcement officer or others; To facilitate the Defendants' identification of Journalists protected under this Order, the following are examples of indicia of being a Journalist: visual identification as a member of the press, such as by carrying a professional press pass, badge or credentials; wearing distinctive clothing or patches that identify the wearer as a member of the press; or carrying professional gear such as professional photographic or videography equipment. Other indicia of being a Journalist under this Order include that the person is standing off to the side of a protest, not engaging in chanting, sign holding, shouting slogans, or otherwise protesting, and documenting protest activities, although these are not requirements. These indicia are illustrative, and a person need not exhibit every indicium to be considered a Journalist under this Order. Defendants shall not be liable for unintentional violations of this Order in the case of an individual who does not wear a press pass, badge, or other official press credential, professional gear, or distinctive clothing that identifies the person as a member of the press. It is further ORDERED that all Federal Agents, excepting those who do not wear a uniform or other distinguishing clothing or equipment in the regular performance of their official 4 Case: 1:25-cv-12173 Document #: 42 Filed: 10/09/25 Page 5 of 6 PagelD #:839 duties or are engaged in undercover operations in the regular performance of their official duties, must have visible identification (for which a unique recognizable alphanumeric identifier sequence will suffice) affixed to their uniforms or helmets and prominently displayed, including when wearing riot gear.
October 9, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Culture Combine
lyndab08.bsky.social
There’s a viral video reposted by a lot of news people nationally about an abduction at West Loop Elementary School, but there is no school with that name. The video seems to be of ICE detaining people near UIC yesterday. Details matter. We need to try to get them right before sharing.
October 9, 2025 at 7:28 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
Trump took to Truth Social today to call for the arrest of IL governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

UPDATED to include breaking statement from the Chicago Teacher's Union regarding the call for Johnson's arrest
Trump Calls for Arrest of Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in Truth Social Post
The ongoing feud between the sitting president, the Chicagoland area and State of Illinois continues to escalate. Operation Midway Blitz has been underway for a month and has involved US Immigration ...
www.culturecombine.com
October 8, 2025 at 7:41 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
Please read about what's happening here in Chicago from journalists who are here:
Illinois Sues to Block Hundreds of Guard Troops that Could Deploy in Chicagoland as Feds Continue to Wage War on Residents
“What kind of a country are we living in? And this raid at this building is emblematic of what ICE and CBP and the president of the United States, Kristi Noem and Greg Bovino, are trying to do,” said ...
www.culturecombine.com
October 6, 2025 at 4:57 PM
culturecombine.bsky.social
The answer to "Seen anything good lately?" should be yes, if you go see Paul Thomas Anderson's latest, One Battle After Another.

So say we in this review of a flick to put on your Must See list:

www.culturecombine.com/post/one-bat...
One Battle After Another Expertly Blends Absurdity and Stunning Action
There are no bad Paul Thomas Anderson movies. And while lately there has been a bit of ebb and flow after There Will Be Blood and between unparalleled masterpieces like 2012’s The Master and 2017's P...
www.culturecombine.com
September 30, 2025 at 10:01 PM