iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 29/09/2026

Honored to join Jason & Gabe on @blastpoints.bsky.social to discuss the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art! Come for the perilously deep cuts, stay for the narrative taxonomy. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. on.soundcloud.com/yydPqD2f5816...

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 19/09/2026

The new "Inked" maze at Knott's Scary Farm is a masterpiece.

The facade at the entrance of Inked, a marquee that reads "Morbid Studios", with three retro rubber-hose cartoon characters on top.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 05/09/2026

I think I've found a new third space in the @lucasmuseum.bsky.social library.

The Library in the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 31/08/2026

Another vibrant Founder's Day, filled with hitchin' traditions, book clubs, time capsules, secrets revealed, and a visit from the Governor declaring, "Calico belongs to the people!" Ghost Town Alive remains a shining beacon of boundless communal play in an increasingly passive theme park landscape.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 29/08/2026

If you could use a laugh, and also feel suffocated by corporate malfeasance, please go see COYOTE VS ACME in a theater this weekend.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 19/08/2026

In happier theme park gameplay news, Knott's / Six Flags has released the fourth iteration of their interactive lantern for the 2026 haunt season. This improved version features a new "color collector" experience in addition to previous modes, and, for the first time, a speaker for sound effects!

The lantern. Notice the added symbols on the base.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 18/08/2026

I still believe the ultimate potential of this embodied medium is interactive. The Play app took a giant leap toward empowering curious folks to peel back a layer & explore these spaces on a deeper level. Its wings were clipped, but I will forever celebrate the miracle that it existed at all.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 18/08/2026

Perhaps the orphaned triggerable show effects will eventually find new methods of being triggered, but for now it seems the parks are entering an era devoid of play.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 18/08/2026

The most gutting loss for me (naturally, as a founding phone case kitbasher) is the Datapad experience hosted within the PDP app. A wealth of original, land-specific, epistolary Star Wars fiction rendered inaccessible to new visitors to Batuu. A tremendous shame.

The founding Datapad phone case builder kitbash party!

Nick with his Datapad, bothering Asa while others play with the app.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 18/08/2026

The minigames that occasionally frustrated other guests were just an alibi, and the real secret sauce was the interactions enabled by the app's backend. It was a profound moment the first time a theme park ride remembered me.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 18/08/2026

Play Disney Parks, even in its compromised state, represented a lot of ambitions I'd waited my whole life to see. Exclusive merchandise unlocked though gameplay was one of those concepts, if only briefly and timidly attempted, and I still think it holds vast untapped potential.

An achievement pin available exclusively to Play Disney Parks players.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 18/08/2026

Reminiscing. Back in 2018, I rope-dropped with a bag of quarters to unlock all the Esmeralda cards. Pure magic to trigger a fortune telling machine without touching it, and getting an exclusive serialized story chapter each time you visit? Lovely.

Nick with Esmeralda, holding all the Esmeralda cards, wearing an Esmeralda shirt.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 17/08/2026

Pouring one out for a dream too big to survive. RIP, PDP. I loved you very much.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 24/07/2026

A selection of episodes from STAR WARS DETOURS, George Lucas's final, unreleased Star Wars project, will screen at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 09/07/2026

If you still have a local comic shop, I heartily suggest picking up Darrow's latest Shaolin Cowboy offering, "Stayin' A.I. Live". I think it might be his best work yet.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 07/07/2026

Happy 20th, Dead Man's Chest. Here's one of my favorite deleted exchanges, from Ted & Terry's screenplay:

"ELIZABETH
The Church came to the island, and brought salvation ... and disease, and death. They say the priest had to bury every body, one after the other. It drove him mad, and he hung himself.

NORRINGTON
Better mad with the rest of the world than sane alone."

http://www.wordplayer.com/archives/PIRATES2.intro.html

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 23/06/2026

I don't collect autographs, but later at the signing on the show floor, I ask everyone to personalize their signature to Don Knotts. Kristen Schaal writes, "To Don Knotts, you should have been in this."

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 23/06/2026

When they open the floor to questions, I go up to the mic and ask what kind of toy they think Don Knotts would have voiced if he wasn't dead ...

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 23/06/2026

Toy Story 5 rocks, so allow me to recount my favorite Toy Story memory: The Comic-Con panel for Toy Story That Time Forgot was moderated by Michael Giacchino. While introducing Kristen Schaal, he mistakenly referred to Don Knotts instead of Don Rickles ...

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 14/06/2026

If future years are willing to more fully leverage the power of that intimate magic, I could easily imagine this event becoming an immersive destination as Ghost Town Alive has over the past decade. For now, I'll revel in the campy hijinks and heartfelt heroics on offer. A lot of us need it.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 14/06/2026

A madcap lineup of stage shows and meet & greets featuring the banner characters bring in passers by, while roaming goons capture a bit of that off-season haunt energy and invite guests into a vivid world only loosely sketched by their surroundings.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 14/06/2026

I was charmed by the wholesome chaos of Six Flags' DC Heroes & Villains Fest. It's a testament to the power of live entertainment to transform the feeling of a space, even when there isn't an explicitly interactive experiential scaffolding.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 31/05/2026

We lost Joe Negri yesterday. I've been thinking a lot about the neighborhood recently. I had made myself his hat just a few weeks ago. Makes me feel good, wearing it around. Rest in peace, neighbor.

Handyman Negri and the Trolley, a screenshot from Mister Rogers Neighborhood.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 22/05/2026

You're too kind! Much delayed — curse those sky pirates — but the adventure magazine itself is still on the way. (With hopefully many more reveals that pander to your particular interests.) Those cards were hand lettered by me and printed by the fine folks at GreenerPrinter.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 16/05/2026

Thrilled to see THE ANIMATRIX on the big screen this morning, thanks to @secretmovieclub.bsky.social! Also, the hallway to the subterranean restrooms at the Million Dollar Theater felt thematically appropriate.

The opulent interior of the Million Dollar Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

Tile-lined hallways leading to the men's restroom.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 11/05/2026

"After 'The Empire Strikes Back', I got to make big films that I didn't care about, 'Never Say Never Again' and 'RoboCop 2', and then I got too old." — Irvin Kershner (📷: @themandatorian.bsky.social)

Nick as Irvin Kershner, holding script sides. Behind him, Luke with Yoda on his back.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 10/05/2026

I attended @thedorkydiva.bsky.social's Dagobah Swamp Social as Irvin Kershner, after last year's appearance as Larry Kasdan at their Hoth Bash! (You may be able to guess what madness will be committed upon my facial hair next year....) Please note the stack of Saja rocks I added to my build-a-bog:

A polaroid photo of Nick as Kersh inside Yoda's hut, placed in a photo holder in the shape of Yoda's hut, customized at the "build a bog" arts and crafts station!

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 29/04/2026

Visiting the Barnsdall Art Park for a screening of The Rocketeer! There's an exhibit of artifacts bookended by a comp sketch for the cover of Howard Hughes' jetpack blueprint folio and one of the four final props made to be burnt on screen. (It was rescued from the fireplace after an early take.)

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 26/04/2026

I saw Laraine Newman play Dobbu Scay tonight, and all is right with the world.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 21/04/2026

I need a time machine so I can visit WB Movie World Gold Coast between 2003 and 2007.

Entrance to The Official Matrix Exhibit.

A Matrix stunt show in the streets of WB Movie World.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 16/04/2026

I know they aren't likely to bother offering a popcorn bucket for the one-night Speed Racer IMAX rerelease next week, but if they did it should be this prop from the movie:

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 14/04/2026

I saw someone bemoan the current, combat-free state of The Matrix Online fan-hosted emulator as a "walking simulator," and I thought that sounded like heaven so I jacked in for a few hours.

Nick looking for a diner that doesn't exist.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 14/04/2026

In honor of Sid Krofft's passing today, this is the (incredibly tall) map for "The World of Sid and Marty Krofft" amusement park that hung in his office when I visited him in 2019. Here's a download link in case you'd like to print one out for yourself: drive.google.com/drive/folder...

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 09/04/2026

Today's reference material: A 1946 Dell paperback with a callout for a "crime map on back cover" in the form of a charming cutaway illustration. With this being a tie-in printing, I'm tempted to check if the diagram matches the movie set.

Front cover of Gerald Butler's THE UNAFRAID [KISS THE BLOOD OFF MY HANDS]

"The Kids Room: Scene of a Murder in 'Kiss The Blood Off My Hands.'"

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 06/04/2026

Mad respect to Topps for including in their Disneyland 70th trading cards the unbuilt Uranium Hunt in Tomorrowland where guests would have used Geiger counters to search for real uranium embedded in the rockwork. I'll take any walkthrough attraction I can get, no matter how radioactive.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 04/04/2026

Caught THE BRIDE! before it leaves theaters and, surprising nobody, I loved it. I only have one question. (Complimentary) Did Maggie Gyllenhaal play IMMORTALITY?

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 03/04/2026

An extra on the Rocketeer has shared his collection of personal photos from the set, and he captured some real gems. www.facebook.com/groups/16471...

Billy Campbell giving a high five to a kid.

Joe Johnson looking through a cockpit canopy before it's mounted on a camera for a POV shot.

A felt pennant for Bigelow's Air Circus at Chaplin airfield.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 28/03/2026

Believe it or not, I tried to talk her out of this sign. (She was immediately swarmed by @blueprincegame.bsky.social players at our small local protest, and I've never been happier to be wrong.)

"Would you like to permanently add THRONE ROOM to your drafting pool?" "NO."

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 20/03/2026

In the post-post-postgame of Blue Prince, I still like to visit Mount Holly occasionally to set little goals for myself. After many days and more rerolls than I had planned to burn, I finally managed to fill up my dining room table! Does it never end?

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 17/03/2026

Fellow members of the Haute & Freddy royal court, I am pleased to report that the CD edition of "Big Disgrace" contains song lyrics! (If your physical media proclivities had exclusively favored vinyl, you may want to make an exception on this occasion.)

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 17/03/2026

Apparently Fortnite is vaulting their Daft Punk experience on the 19th. If you haven't had a chance to pop in, it is a surprisingly lovely communal postscript.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 11/03/2026

I saw Haute & Freddy perform at Bob Baker Marionette Theater last night, a perfect pairing of act and venue that turned out to be a delightful performance collaboration. (All bands should incorporate marionettes at every available opportunity.) Their first album "Big Disgrace" drops this Friday.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 19/02/2026

Please take the wheel with your hands at ten and two, exercise your human free will, and go see "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" in a theater while you still can. I would consider it a personal favor.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 03/02/2026

Celebrated my beloved Gore Verbinski's grand return to cinemas by sampling both items on the "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" movie tie-in menu at NORMS.

FROM DIRECTOR GORE VERBINSKI
AND WRITER MATTHEW ROBINSON

DON T DIE

LIMITED EDITION MENU AVAILABLE 2/2-2/28/26

SNOBALL HOTCAKES

Sliced Strawberries, Cheesecake batter. Hostess® Snoball® & Chocolate Sauce.

$9.99
OR TOP IT OFF $4.99

SNOBALL MILKSHAKE Hand scooped Vanilla Ice Cream shake with Chocolate & Marshmallow. Topped with a Hostess Snoball® & Whipped Cream.

$6.29

ONLY IN THEATERS FEBRUARY 13TH
FEATURING NORMS

DINE IN ONLY. WHILE SUPPLIES LAST.

Extreme close-up of half a snowball on top of a milkshake. It works.

A stack of pancakes slathered in cheesecake batter with a snoball on top and a steak knife stabbed through, standing proudly.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 19/01/2026

Every story beat played like gangbusters to a sold-out crowd. From the cheering children behind me to the adults whooping for a bygone patriotic stand against fascists, The Rocketeer is needed more in 2026 than he was in 1991. (The New Bev screened an immaculate original release print.)

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 08/01/2026

I had some Blue Prince dice engraved, so I can reroll my office as needed.

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 28/12/2025

By popular demand, his-and-hers whale subtitle shirts, available now on TeePublic: Hers: www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/8559... His: www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/8559...

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Nick Tierce @nicktierce.com · 28/12/2025

Seeing the Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special on a big screen with a packed house was transcendent.

The marquee of the historic Alex theater in Glendale, which reads "SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS UNITED & NOSTALGIC NEBULA PRESENTS PEE WEES PLAYHOUSE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL - DECEMBER 27"

Britt & Nick in front of a replica of the opening title sign.

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