Podcast Review: Nerdist Writers Panel

If any of you have been sleeping through the internet age, I’m going to introduce you to a cool new thing: Podcasts.

A podcast is an episodic series of files (either video or audio) that are essentially private radio shows broadcast (and downloadable) online. The word itself comes from an amalgamation of Broadcast and Pod (after the iPod that made digital media so easy to consume). I listen almost exclusively to podcasts when I’m driving and in this series of posts I’m going to introduce you to some of my favourites.

Today’s podcast: The Nerdist Writers Panel

The Nerdist Channel was started by Chris Hardwick and currently has a legion of different podcasts by a variety of hosts, but The Nerdist Writers Panel is easily my favourite. Hosted by Ben Blacker, the Writers Panel is just what it says it is: A Panel of writers (wow… no shit), specifically American TV writers. The guests talk about how they got into the business, what inspires them and what it’s like working on the various TV shows, genres and networks.

I find it fascinating to get this behind the scenes look at what goes into making the TV shows that I admire so much. It turns out that TV is largely a writer’s medium - by which I mean that the writers have the most artistic control over the process, some shows even sending the writer on set to make sure everything goes according to plan – as opposed to feature films where most of the control rests in the hands of the director.

These guys work far to freaking hard (makes me feel completely inadequate), but the collaborative process that happens on most shows (the writers room) sounds thrilling and I always like to hear passionate, creative people talk about their work.

So if you’re looking for something other than crappy pop music listen to on your way to work or while you’re in the gym trying to convince yourself that running on the spot is actually accomplishing something, then why not download a few of the Nerdist Writers Panel’s episodes and give them a listen. I enjoy it, and I’m fairly sure you will too.

-Odd

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." - Ernest Hemingway

WebManga: Goblins

Goblins is a WebManga (meaning it has a storyline that continues across the whole of the comic) created by Tarol Hunt and Danielle Stephens. Based entirely in the world of Dungeons and Dragons, it has masses of insider jokes and very cleverly plays havoc with DnD's black and white view of morality.

Goblins follows the adventures of a group of goblins, who decide that they have had enough of watching parties of adventures attacking their villages and war camps. So to better protect their people, they throw tradition to the wind and take on adventurer levels.



This story is masterfully executed, with the standard DnD character races being almost exclusively evil from the viewpoint of the goblins and these strange moral choices mixed in with traditional DnD themes and humor makes for a really gripping read.

Goblins has an extensive archive, which really must be read through from the begining if you're going to have any idea of what's going on, but it's interesting to watch how Tarol's artistic style evolves over the course of the comic and there are enough gags and truly epic fight scenes to keep you entertained.

Tarol has a great grasp of his characters, the humor is smooth (if very niche to DnD) and I think he's got the best fight scenes that I've seen in any comic, not just in the online medium.

This is a brilliant comic, and I've added it to my regular reading list. I suggest you do the same.

-Odd

"The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict." Martin Luther King, Jr.

WebComics vs. WebManga

You might not realise it, but there has been a debate raging around certain nodes of the internet. Namely: what is the difference between WebComics and WebManga. There have been panels about this at numerous conventions, blogs and rants by cartoonists, writers and fans... so what's it all about?

WebComics seem to follow a more western style, both in artwork and composition, something like the Sunday newspaper cartoons: each strip has a limited number of panels (usually 3 or 4), is usually self contained (doesn't have a story-line that must be read to understand the comic) and will most often provide one joke per strip. Some examples of WebComics would be ThreePanelSoul, MacHall, RealLife and AppleGeeks.

WebManga, on the other hand, follows more of a Japanese theme, with Manga-inspiredartwork and a complex story line. This is where it gets a little confusing, because if we want to avoid a third category called WebGraphicNovels, we must add the comics with a western drawing style and complex stories to the WebManga group. Examples are stuff like MegaTokyo, the Order of the Stick or ErfWorld.

So that's my definition: WebComics are a joke a strip, while WebManga have more complicated stories... but that's just my two cents, what do you think?

In the News:

Iceland Volcano's Ash Grounds European Air Travel - I'm sure you all know about this... it's insane what a huge effect it's had.... there are dinosaur extinction theories that start remarkably like this.

Using Your Thought-Controlled iPhone to Dial Home - sugoi!!!! told you it was coming.

China hackers stole key Google program - Google's single authentication code was stolen... supposedly by Chinese hackers... they've changed the code, but it's still a massive worry for your privacy.

Fatal Flaw Discovered In Invisibility Cloaks - aw... :( that sucks.

SETI To Release Data To the Public - the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence tries crowd-sourcing... cool ^^

And there you have it, another week, another post. Tune in next week: Same geek time, same geek place.

-Odd

"You know what they call a quarter-pounder in France?"

WebComics: MacHall and ThreePanelSoul

It's been a heavy news week, with offensive songs, the murder of a beloved Spielberg character and a tragic motor accident. All of which is depressing, so I'm not going to talk about it. Instead I'll introduce you to two of the internet's most talented residents: Ian McConville and Matt Boyd.

Ian and Matt are two of the biggest and most loved players on the WebComic scene, starting out with MacHall when they were both in college in 2000. MacHall chronicles the lives of a bunch of college students living in res at Bowling Green State University. The geek factor in the humor is high, and even though the comic stopped posting in September 2006, the archives are well worth the read. Seeing the evolution of Ian's artwork and Matt's scripting is truly something special. 

One of MacHall's later strips

Both Ian and Matt have long since graduated and moved on to be successful members in their respective fields, obviously this puts a large amount of strain on one's free time and they've switched their WebComic energies to ThreePanelSoul. TPS is a very different format, having only three panels in each strip, which provides a very different flavor to their earlier offerings. The strip's humor is matured, clever and completely unique (and yes, i know 'completely unique' is redundant... give me a break, will ya?). 

Awesome example of Matt's brilliant sense of humor

So have a click through to MacHall and ThreePanelSoul the next time you're looking for something to do online, it's more fun than harvesting crops, I promise you.

In the news:

Supersonic Freefall - this dude is going to attempt to break the sound barrier in free-fall i.e. without a plane.... I think this is possibly the craziest (read stupidest) thing I can think of.

Researchers develop a robot that folds towels - it might not sound like much, but this is a huge breakthrough in robotics, read the article to find out why.

After 27 years, a New High Score For Asteroids - I can't believe people are still playing this... competitively yet.

Solar cells: UQAM researcher solves two 20-year-old problems - heralding a new age for cheap, renewable energy.  I definitely think it's time for sunny South Africa to take advantage.

Synapse on a Chip - a new kind of computer memory that mimics brain neurons (yes i know there isn't another kind). Soon to bring big advancements to a peripheral near you.

Transhumanism and Superheroes - possibly the simplest, most concise explanation of post- and trans-humanism I've read. Great stuff, give it a read.

And there you have it... another post. It's April, but I'm still looking for my hill.

-Odd

"Everything is funnier at 2am."