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Joe Praska

@joepraska.bsky.social
340 followers 639 following 304 posts

He/Him | Elementary teacher in Saint Paul | #StarTrek fan🖖 | SFF/Horror lover | co-host of Frankenstein's Podcast & Deep Space Love | Writer for Twin Cities Geek | coffee enthusiast ☕️

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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
If ever there was a physical definition of ‘chaotic evil’ …
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floyding @floyding.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
perfection
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Frankenstein's Podcast @frankenpodcast.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Happy 60th Birthday Star Trek! 🖖 "The Man Trap" first aired on NBC on Sept. 8, 1966. The episode's 'monster of the week' was the Salt Vampire, played by actress/stuntwoman, Sandra Lee Gimpel. Gimpel actually wrote a book about her work in 2023 called Stuntlady: Falling for the Stars. #StarTrek60
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Stephanie Carvin @stephaniecarvin.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Wake up, babe. The Prime Minister just dropped “hydronym”.
The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which, appropriately, means “the lake is beautiful, the lake is big”.

The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.

We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms. 

Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always.
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
It's a damn shame that EL CONDE is buried somewhere in the Netflix algorithm. Pablo Larraín made something truly special here that more people should see. The satire is biting, the genre elements blend so well with the historical pieces, and the cinematography is just gorgeous.
Still of Pinochet flying over a farmhouse in black and white from the 2023 film, EL CONDE.
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Frankenstein's Podcast @frankenpodcast.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
RIP to two absolute real ones. Heartbreaking to lose these two so close together 💔
4 images (2 on the left feature Dolly Parton, 2 on the right are Tim Curry in his roles of Dr. Frank N. Furter and Lord Darkness)
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Saw ‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’ the other day (loved it) and between that at ‘I Love Boosters’ it’s been a good summer for surrealist, subversive weird shit and I’m 100% here for it.
Movie poster for I Love BoostersMovie poster for Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
These movies were a ridiculous blast. They'd been on my watchlist for a while. Basically campy Lovecraft lore sans existential dread, but with some great practical monster work from R. Christopher Briggs and Camille Calvet. Why'd they give the unnamable a name though!? 😂 #Horror
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Really giving dystopian fiction a run for it's money over here
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
This was so fun to revisit. Analogue + investigative horror is 100% my shit & Samara continues to be absolutely iconic. RIP to Daveigh Chase.
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Josh Hartnett vs. a sea monster — color me intrigued..
static.klipy.com
Ponste12 Faculty: Guaranteed to Jack You Up
ALT: Ponste12 Faculty: Guaranteed to Jack You Up
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Already on board for this one
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
I liked the S4 premiere of Strange New Worlds; very ‘pulp sci-fi.’ Might’ve stuffed a bit too much into 1 hour (mixing dinosaur hijinks with more serious time-travel conundrums), but liked the effort! Hoping the rest of the season is slightly more tonally balanced, but still optimistic! #StarTrek
Still from Star Trek: Strange Mew Worlds season 4 episode 1. Three characters on what appears to be a different planet with a shuttle behind them.
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Revisiting this was a trip — I really don’t think I’ve watched THE RING since it came out back in 2002. It’s still a great example of unrelenting unease without resorting to big scares and set pieces (until some of the final scenes, of course). Excited to dig into this one on the pod soon!
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Picked up a few new #StarTrek comics: still really loving the ongoing “Last Starship” series & SFA “Lost Contact” (definitely glad to get more time with those characters). Really excited for the new Red Shirts book; any time spent during the ‘monster maroon’ era is a good time for me!
3 comic books: Star Trek The Last Starship, Star Trek Starfleet Academy Lost Contact, and Star Trek Red Shirts: Ghost of the 21st Century.
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Truly one of the most detestable Star Trek villains, yet anchored by a powerhouse performance by Fletcher. A legend for sure.
static.klipy.com
Kai Winn: Well These Are Joyful Days Indeed!
ALT: Kai Winn: Well These Are Joyful Days Indeed!
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I can’t wait to never think about this again
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Was just in San Antonio & despite the fact that we got it to-go and ate on the floor of our hotel, our dining highlight by a landslide was a little Argentinian spot called Fat Tummy’s. If you’re ever there, make it a priority to check this place out. Tasty empanadas and friendly folks!
Split image: top is a green building with a sign that says “Fat Tunmy”

Bottom is an image of empanadas
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Horror books and cocktails. Top tier combo. 📕 🥃 (Book: “The Sound of the Dark” by @dannythechurch.bsky.social)
Image of a Kobo e-readwr with the cover of the book THE SOUND OF THE DARK by Donell Church. In the background is an old fashioned.
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Insulting to all the previous direct-to-video cash grabs pre-AI
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Recently made watermelon infused vodka and I gotta say it’s opened a whole new “fun with booze” kind of door for me.
Two mason jars filled with watermelon chunks and vodka.
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Charlie Jane Anders writing a new Star Trek comic. I am so stoked for this!
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
The synth-heavy Tangerine Dream soundtrack of the theatrical cut is definitely an experience, but I think Scott's director's cut is the better movie for sure. Either option is a wild, fever-dream of an experience, but I love it! It's beautifully shot, very weird and a whole lot of fun.
static.klipy.com
Tim Curry's Devil Laugh
ALT: Tim Curry's Devil Laugh
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 14/07/2026
This morning in Biddeford, Maine, a 26-year-old man said goodbye to his wife and daughter and left for work. Moments later he was dead, shot in the head by ICE agents, the second man ICE has killed in six days. ICE is killing our neighbors. ICE cannot be reformed. Abolish ICE.
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
The news should be covering ICE like a serial killer on the loose
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
And here we go
mprnews.org
Truth Social post by Trump about St. Paul kindergartners sparks safety concerns, criticism
Community leaders say President Donald Trump’s Truth Social post with a video of a St. Paul kindergarten graduation ceremony comes amid what they describe as a broader increase in anti-Muslim and anti...
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Watched the Dan Stevens/Al Pacino exorcist flick, THE RITUAL. I thought it was mostly exaggeration how people said it was shot like The Office, but holy hell it’s striking. Kept waiting for Dan Stevens to look over at the camera every time Pacino spoke in his funny little accent.
Image of actors Dan Stevens and Al Pacino in a church. Image is a still from the 2025 film, THE RITUAL.
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Dope poster! I know Wrath of Khan has always been the Trek film most in the public zeitgeist but this one was always my favorite. I taped the VHS cover I had as a kid back together multiple times because of how tattered it got.
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Masked white nationalists march in DC…that’s just free speech…. 5-year-olds wear hijabs for their Kindergarten graduation ceremony…
static.klipy.com
Joker Freak Out
ALT: Joker Freak Out
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
I know we're in the thick of Hollywood frantically mining internet horror now, but I love Trevor Henderson's stuff & the Duffield+Cregger collab is super exciting. Consider me stoked!
bloody-disgusting.com
Zach Cregger and Brian Duffield Teaming on ‘Siren Head’ Horror Movie Based on Viral Sensation
Hollywood is seeking its next Backrooms and may have found it in artist Trevor Henderson‘s Siren Head. Horror heavy hitters Zach Cregger (Weapons, Resident Evil) and Brian Duffield (Spontaneous, Whale...
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Re-watching this definitely hits different today, but it still rules. This is how you make a blockbuster!
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floyding @floyding.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Tom you may want to sit down for this but as a Minnesotan I have a tried and true strategy for not living in constant fear of being called an Islamaphobe
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
I love going to movies in general, but every so often there's a movie that just reaffirms to me *why* I love going to the movies. I LOVE BOOSTERS was an experience like that. This movie is weird as hell but incredibly innovative, fun, funny, and starkly anti-capitalist. Loved every minute of it.
letterboxd.com
A ★★★★★ review of I Love Boosters (2026)
I gave Boots Riley's previous film (Sorry to Bother You) an easy 5-stars and I think I ended up liking this one even more so gotta go with an easy 5 here as well. I don't know if they're both 5-star m...
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
BACKROOMS ruled. #Letterboxd
letterboxd.com
A ★★★★½ review of Backrooms (2026)
I really liked this one! Definitely feels like it exists at an intersection between Cronenberg and Lynch; lots of surreal weirdness with a consistent undercurrent of dread that rides or dies almost en...
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Mike McMahan @mikemcmahan.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Not my best work, but felt like this was what's on the menu for Bsky today.
Rodger Rabbit shoe being dipped into the green waters of DC.
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Bill Krause @admiralbuck.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I liked STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU much more than expected! It was a nice, relatively stand-alone space adventure that wasn't working overtime to set up a sequel. But my favorite element was all the practical puppetry, miniatures & even a bit of stop-motion—some from Phil Tippett's studio!
Image of Hugo Durant, a four-armed alien Ardennian food vendor in STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU.Image of a space ship miniature that was used in STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU.Image of a robot statue that was used for stop-motion animation in STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU.Image of Grogu (baby Yoda) and other stop-motion/puppet characters in STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU.
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
I love this but hate how studios & bosses will most certainly take the wrong messages and try to ruin things.
cnn.com
YouTubers are setting box office records. It could change the future of moviemaking | CNN Business
The success of “Obsession” and “Backrooms” may mean some studio bosses will place a few more bets on original concepts rather than predictable franchises and sequels.
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Deep Space Love @dslovepod.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
⭐️ New Ep! ⭐️ This month we're joined by Jessi B. of the Crusher Convo podcast (@crusherconvo.com) to chat about the literally decades long, will-they/won't they situationship between icons Jean-luc Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher! This was a super fun convo spanning both TNG and Star Trek: Picard!
podpage.com
43. JEAN-LUC PICARD/BEVERLY CRUSHER: Tea, Earl Grey, and Unspoke…
Married Trekkie couple, Joe & Nicole, are joined fellow Trekkie & host of the Crusher Convo podcast, Jessi B, to dig into the decades long, will-they/won't-they rel…
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Doctor Who is now in limbo, the new Stargate series has been scrapped by Amazon, there's no new Star Trek in production & all the sets have been taken down. Tough time for legacy sci-fi. Love these franchises, but maybe we can get some new, original, colorful space operas w/wacky aliens & big ideas?
static.klipy.com
Stargate Golf: Hitting a Ball Through the Portal
Alt: Stargate Golf: Hitting a Ball Through the Portal
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Great story. Giles was such an impactful character when I was young and devouring the Buffy/Angel franchise. Loved seeing him across the board in other roles too. Seemed like a great man. RIP Anthony Stewart Head.
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Wasn't sure how PITCH BLACK would hold up on re-watch many years later, but I loved it. Vin Diesel is so cool in this. It's also just a tight, lean space horror flick with some cool monsters to boot. Check out our episode out now!
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Frankenstein's Podcast @frankenpodcast.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
⭐️ New Episode! ⭐️ "You're not afraid of the dark, are you...?" This week we're having a RIDDICK-culus time chatting about David Twohy & Vin Diesel's space horror flick, PITCH BLACK! Shoutout to our pal @jimtandberg.bsky.social for the dope artwork for this one!
frankensteinspodcast.com
133. Bioraptors from 'Pitch Black'
"You're not afraid of the dark, are you...?" This episode, Kalid and Joe chat about David Twohy 2000 space/horror/creature-feature, Pitch Black, with Vin Diesel as …
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Deep Space Love @dslovepod.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
In case you missed it, check out our thoughts on the first season of Starfleet Academy (now updated without it's placeholder episode title 😂) with our pal, @mattljenn.bsky.social! Also, go watch @1701blerd.bsky.social!!
podpage.com
41. Cadets & Courtship: What We Loved about Starfleet Academy w/…
Married Trekkie couple, Joe & Nicole, are joined by actor, writer, Trekkie and friend, Matt Jennings! The crew discuss the upcoming second season of Matt's webserie…
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Meme: features an animated older man holding pepperidge farm cookies. Reads: "Remember when they all pretended to care about fraud? Pepperidge Farm Remembers"
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
...“This is one of the single most corrupt acts in American history,” Donald Sherman, the president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in a statement."...
apnews.com
Justice Department announces nearly $1.8B fund to compensate Trump allies in a deal to drop IRS suit
The Trump administration has announced the creation a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate allies of the Republican president who believe they have been unjustly investigated and prosecuted.
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
This is a good thing & yet terribly unsurprising that the Trump administration is against it & is suing our state over it. Also love that states rights is not a thing they care about anymore 🙄
npr.org
Minnesota becomes first state to ban prediction markets
While dozens of states have taken legal action against the controversial industry, Minnesota is the first state to pass a law making it a felony for companies like Kalshi and Polymarket to operate.
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
My latest article for @twincitiesgeek.com : "How Citizen Scientists Can Help the National Weather Service Track Weather Patterns"
twincitiesgeek.com
How Citizen Scientists Can Help the National Weather Service Track Weather Patterns
As Minnesotans navigate severe weather season, one of the ways the National Weather Service has been able to get and analyze information and trends is through active volunteer citizen scientists.
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
So stoked about this one!
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Joe Praska @joepraska.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Old closed down Starbucks in the neighborhood is becoming a small taco shop. I think that’s a win for community.
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