viddyviddy

If you're anything like me, then the next best thing to actually eating food is watching someone else deal with food and food-related objects. Food Network is one of the last channels I watch on an actual TV over actual cable television, and my favorite show has always been Good Eats. The show has a devoted Tivo folder, I loved his Feasting on Asphalt and Feasting on Waves and all that good stuff he's been on.

AND NOW HE'S AVAILABLE IN PODCAST FORM!

Wonders of wonders, miracles of miracles~

Sorry, I just really like Alton Brown. He taught me a lot about cooking, not that I actually apply any of it to my boxed lasagna, but I still felt good learning about it.

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350F, then turn that thing off because you're going to listen to The Alton Browncast.   

TV Host and Foodist Alton Brown reviews recent food news, chats with celebrities about their culinary passions, takes calls from listeners, and basically does whatever he flippin’ wants for 45 minutes.

Relevant Links:
Main Podcast Site, via Nerdist! This site also serves as an archive.
RSS Feed!
Get the podcast via iTunes!
Alton's Twitter!   He replies to tweets by writing out a response on a Post-It and taking a picture of it! Hee!

The Alton Browncast provides host Alton Brown (GO FIGURE, RIGHT?) a lovely little venue to talk about what really interests him in the food world. He will discuss recent food-related news, interview fellow creative chefs and food crafters, and answer cooking questions from his listening audience. It's a nicely balanced little podcast, shifting easily between topics as Alton delves into his knowledge and passion for all things food. If you like his personality on any of the plethora of shows he's been on you will find more of the same in this podcast.

I gotta tell you right now, buttermilk and Cap'n Crunch cereal? Those things don't go together.

Content Rating: Clean, and I really can't imagine this podcast ever being explicit.

Average Episode Length: Set your timer for just a smidgin over an hour. You'll want the toothpick to be clean, with only a few moist crumbs sticking to it when you test for doneness.


Release Schedule:  Once a week, with the release date most likely to be a Friday.


Unintentionally Good Part:  Listening to Bobby Flay's story about making "queso" at his wife's behest. Cute story.

Unintentionally Bad Part: Bad part, bad part, is there a bad part? Sorry, I'm an Alton Brown fan, so he gets a clean pass.  #@#$%!$ SLURPING DURING AN ICE CREAM TASTING SERIOUSLY THAT IS THE WORST NOISE IN MY EARS.   Aaaaaaargh okay, okay, I found a bad part! I give!

Auwgh! Hate that noise.

Unrelated rating: Two of those little yeast puppets from Good Eats out of three.

All right, readers, I'm going to say a phrase, and it is going to let you know whether or not this podcast is for you. It's going to challenge some world-views, shake up some dialogues, that sort of thing, so be ready.

Are you appropriately clenched? Okay, here it is:

"Handcrafted food meta-discussion"

Were you struck blind? Wait, stupid question. But did that turn your lip up in a sneer or strike your fancy? I'm sure some of you have already moved on to watching cat videos, so I'll address those that remain. If you want to know more, then you'll want to check out The Food Craftsmen podcast.

Relevant Links:
Main Site!
Get the podcast here!
Twitter!

Remember: food is life, and life is great.

Discussions about the fat content of heritage pig breeds!

Learning the difference between Latin American and European styles of gourmet chocolates!

Did you know there is a big, annual competition in Ohio for sustainable food producers? I didn't have the slightest idea until I started listening to The Food Craftsman podcast.

At first, I was disappointed. I like to cook, and I was expecting a podcast that might offer me some cooking tips on how to improve my prosciutto-wrapped Hot Pockets. Instead I found a show featuring interviews with food producers that produce good foods in new and ethical ways. So I kept listening, and discovered that it is pretty cool to hear not only how people cook, but why they do it the way they do, and how they go about building and maintaining a successful business.

Host Ryan K. Parker guides the interviews expertly, and his earnest interest in each topic shows through in the discussion. Anything from store design to favorite recipes is up for discussion, and the conversations are natural and flowing.

Content Rating: Clean, although it would be really funny to hear an explicit version of this. #$!@$ SMALL BATCH CHEESE!

Ooh, wait! There is a single explicit episode! Dreams are coming true!

Average Episode Length: Approximately 25 minutes.

Drinking Game: Find yourself a locally brewed beer or two, then share it with friends. Make pretentious statements about the hops after each sip while listening to this podcast.

Release Schedule: Weekly, with no apparent set day of release.

Music: A very nice, smooth song for opening/ending. I like it a lot.

Unintentionally Good Part: The Food Craftsmen podcast is a great venue to hear about foods you didn't know about! With this whole Internet thing, you can find their site and order delicious foods to expaaaaaaaand your pallet.

What kind of wine pairs well with Lean Pockets?

Unintentionally Bad Part: It makes me really hungry to listen to this podcast.

Unrelated rating: Three Instagram photos of food out of three.

Reddit!  It's a thing on the Internet.  I am not a redditor, or one who uses Reddit, because there are already enough time sinks I participate in that if I pick one more up I will literally become one with my computer chair.  And since I don't feel like submitting to a life of wet-wipe baths, I probably won't sign up for an account.

But I did click around randomly, and it's pretty cool!  People post things, other people decide if that thing is cool or not, and the best things float to the top of the screen.  At least, I think that's how it works.  Am I close?

I'm just gonna... keep clicking on things... ha!  Oh, that's a cool thing, lemme click on that... 

Anyways, there's this podcast called Seven Day Cooldown and it came from reddit so let's check it out, shall we?

Relevant Links:
Main Site!
Seven Day Cooldown on Reddit which could also be the main site?
Twittah!
The podcasts!


Content Rating:  Explicit!  Naughty words ahoy, but not particularly foul content. 

Average Episode Length:  Let's say about 56 minutes?  Yes, yes, let's say that.

hah, okay so the /r/aww is super-adorable         
   there's one just for cats?
                       little kitty-cat, gonna pet you with my mouse icon

What?  Right.  Podcast review.

Seven Day Cooldown is a podcast that consists of people who play video and computer games, talking about video and computer games, with people who make video and computer games.  An interview show in format, Seven Day Cooldown provides the Qs while their guests provide you with all the As allowed by their current NDAs.  You like moving pixels around on a screen so that you can score points in an arbitrary system?  This podcast is the one for you. 

The interviews are thoughtful, interesting, and open up a lot of industry discussion that ought catch your attention.  There is an odd sense of decorum in this podcast that I really like:  hosts are treated with respect, and in turn they provides lots of cool words about games they work on. 

Drinking Game:  HEY!  They actually one!  Okay, so technically this is for Reddit, not Seven Day Cooldown.  To make it more relevant, um... take a drink every time a guest has to avoid answering a question. 

Whoops, rage comics!  I'm back.  Let's get the rest of this review over so I can go click on more screenshots.

Release Schedule:  The last podcast was released in May, so I'm going to say this is an occasional release.  This podcast relies on guests, and these guests are of high caliber, so it probably takes a while to schedule shows. 

Music:  Just a tad. 

Unintentionally Good Part: This quote:

If wishes were horses, the Koreans would love us.

Unintentionally Bad Part:  If you are not a child of the Internet, and up to date on your gamer news, than you may not get what they're talking about at some points.  This is "a podcast made for gamers, by gamers" as stated by their Facebook account, and they don't intend to help you play catch-up.

Unrelated rating:  I'd give it an upvote.

They had Gabe friggen Newell as their first guest.  GO LISTEN.  Then go click on things in Reddit.

Let's sort something out real quick at the start of this entry, shall we?

Listen to this song:

If you're already halfway through an angry rebuttal, please feel free to peruse some of my other podcast reviews or enjoy a wholesome romp in a grassy meadow.  I'll see you next week.

If you've already hit replay a few times, then The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is right up your podcast alley.  Let us voyage into the world of science and awesome together in a rocket ship fueled by the scientific method!   FWOOOOOSH!

Relevant Links:
Main Site!
A blog!
Store/Support the SGU! 
Resources of SCIENCE!
Their Top 20 Logical Fallacies - because what's better than destroying your enemies by shredding their own arguments before them?  It is a guaranteed gateway to the lamentation of the women. 

According to the bottom of the main page, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe describes itself as thus:

The Skeptics Guide to the Universe is a weekly Science podcast talkshow discussing the latest news and topics from the world of the paranormal, fringe science, and controversial claims from a scientific point of view. 

Let's get one thing straight:  people say a lot of things, and some of these things are, if not outright wrong, than just wrong enough to lead people astray and possibly even cause harm.  This happens in every part of life that someone can observe and garner an opinion about, which is to say everything in life.  From time to time you might come to question what some of these people have to say.

You may be forced to think skeptically, shall we say?  Host Dr. Steven Novella (he's a real doctor!) is here to show you the way of the skeptic.  He's like a spirit-guide, except instead of dream journeys through the inner mind to reach enlightenment, he'll cut through the woo-woo and lay down the facts about what's going on in the greater universe.  It may involve charts.

Content Rating:  Clean like the inside of your momma's autoclave.

Average Episode Length:  A sample size of five episodes that I downloaded at random give me an AEL of 79.6 minutes.  That's a great deal for your podcast dollar!

Okay, we're gonna go from the Head Box to the Ghost Box.

Drinking Game:  Take a sip each time:

• Someone points out a logical fallacy
• Quantum Physics are used incorrectly to support something
• You're forced to think about how big the universe really is

Release Schedule:  Weekly with a new podcast released each Saturday.

Music:  The typical intro/outro, nothing much to speak of.

Unintentionally Good Part:  Is it lame if I appreciate how Skeptics' Guide to the Universe knows how to pace its discussions?  They make sure to explain whatever subject is at hand so that listeners can follow along, and take the time to let everyone have their say.  The pacing of this podcast is very pleasing. 

Sorry, usually I notice something quirky!  I'll try harder next time.

Unintentionally Bad Part:  Ms. Frizzle is not real and this bums me out. 

Skeptics' Guide to the Universe reminds of all the science shows I watched as a kid, except without the need for the visually-captivating experiments.  The segments are interesting, the interviews are engaging, and it is fun to listen to people who are honestly passionate about viewing the world through a skeptical lens. 

And they had Bill Nye as a guest, so that in itself makes them rad. 


Unrelated rating: Eight Neil deGrasse Tysons out of Ten Carl Sagans.

Books!  Books with mostly words, although some pictures are ok!

This comic © 2003-2011 David Malki !

Ain't literacy grand?  We here at Viddyviddy Corporations have been strong advocates of reading for entertainment and information alike ever since that one time in 3rd grade when our mom made us read James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.  Combine that with the fact that one day that little kid would grow up to be a nerd with a penchant for escapism, and you get a life-long devotee of the fantasy and science fiction genres.

Now, I'm going to take just the most wildest of leaps and assume that one or two of you out there in Internet Land are of similar tastes and would rather fork over the cash for a new paperback book than any other current form of entertainment.  If I'm right about that, than maybe I'm right in thinking you should check out the Sword and Laser Podcast.

Relevant Links:
Main site!
Subscribe to the podcast for iTunes!

Store, featuring lots of books!
Discussion/Forum thing on Goodreads!

I have only listened to a handful of episodes so far, but Sword and Laser seems to have a pretty cool thing going.  From what I can cobble together from their FAQ the origins of Sword and Laser were as a book club, and the podcast was eventually added.  Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt are at the helm of this genre-fueled juggernaut and it looks like they've managed to develop and maintain a community that shares their love of fantasy and sci-fi literature. 

You can go to their Goodreads page right now and see what books are currently being discussed as well as all the other topics that crop up, including discussion about each episode of the podcast.  They welcome one and all to join their community, so go ahead and see if there's anything that catches your eye!  

Release Schedule:  Once a week-ish.  From the iTunes archives it looks like they have a weekly schedule that occasionally gets interluded with a few extra weeks between episodes.  Some of the episodes are recorded at conventions, while others are interviews, so there might be a little extra time when it comes to creating and producing those types of episodes.  Fortunately, there is a big backlog of episodes to catch up on when the release schedule starts to lag.  

Music:  Cute little intro.  And by little, I mean that when you combine it with the opening spiel for their sponsors it clocks in at over a minute long.  oonst-oonst-oonst-oonst

Average Episode Length:  A sample size of 5 randomly selected episodes gives me an average time of 47 minutes (and some spare change).

Hosts Veronica and Tom have great personalities (and I mean that in a good way not the "once you get past their faces they're fun!" way) and they can hold your attention for a host-only episode.  The interviews are well-paced and enjoyable as the hosts provide insightful, questions tailored to each guest.  Some episodes wander away from the topic of fantasy and sci-fi and into the realm of cool websites, television and general geekiness, and that's ok by me! 

Unintentionally Good Part:  The Goodreads thing is really cool!  I've never been able to get into forum discussions, but this looks like it is a bit more manageable and hey, you get to talk about books with other people who like books.

Unintentionally Bad Part: Spoilers.  If you're not participating in their book discussions or haven't already read the book, you may have to skip some episodes where a book's plot is laid open on the autopsy table.

Now go on and grab a mug of tea, your favorite comfy chair and a new sci-fi or fantasy book and get to reading!  Then subsequently get to listening! 

 

All right, I'm about to try something new.

(I'm scared too.)

This...is a debut review.  Yes, I just thought that up and yes, I agree on how stupid it sounds.  But that's all I could come up with so it is sticking and you can just hush up.

Let's dive in to the entire 1 episode of Humor Authority that currently exists, shall we?

Explorations on the theory and practice of humor... it's ambitious, it might fall apart, might be a huge mess.

Relevant Links:
Humor Authority Main site!
Kris Straub's Twitter
Kris Straub's Main site, where you can find links to all the things he does.
Store

First off, Kris Straub is a gol'dang Internet maven (and yes, I had to look up "maven" to make sure I knew what it meant).  Author/Creator/Colorer-Inner of several webcomics, co-creator of those wacky Blamimations, co-host of Webcomics Weekly and innovator when it comes to giving me the willies.  Given time I'm sure he'll head his own brand of microwave dinners and energy drinks, but until then, he makes awesome things like Humor Authority.

 Humor Authority is a podcast that sets out to investigate what makes funny things work.  The plan thus far appears to be that Straub will bring on a guest for each episode and engage them in an open conversation on their opinion and experiences with trying to make people laugh.  The interview style is loose and conversational, leaving Straub and his guest to roam wild and free along the vast plains of what is funny.  


The first (and only) episode features Ethan Nicolle, illustrator of Axe Cop.  This web comic is... actually, it is pretty funny and I highly recommend it, if not on the basis of how the story is written alone (via the artist's 5 year old brother).

NICOLLE: I want to say this as humble as possible but I think that me and you have a good grasp on humor in comics.  I don't know if I can say that, I'll say it about you and you can say it about me if you want to.

STRAUB:  I was gonna start this show with like, "You and I, both crown princes of humor, of the visual art of humor...

Release Schedule:  I have no friggen' clue.  IT IS A MYSTERY.

Average Episode Length:  Considering that there is one episode, the average time is fifty-four minutes and seventeen seconds.

Music:  Something nice at the start that is followed by something nice at the end.

Unexpectedly Good Part:  Welp, with only a single episode to try and suss this out of... I'd say... from what I can tell it appears the Straub is not limiting himself to a single type or genre of humor.  So rather than just interviewing comic artists or comedians or humor writers, there will be a big spread of thoughts and opinions from all across the grid of making people laugh.


Unexpectedly Bad Part:  Buh... um, the chance the the interview-heavy style of the show will most likely translate into a sluggish release schedule?

SO!  Now's your chance to get in on something that's just started and could go big.  Give the first episode a a chance, and if you like it then subscribe or let Straub know that he has an audience for the Humor Authority.  You're listening to the cutting edge of innovation, son!  And that's something to be proud of.

Probably.

StarTalk Radio Show with Neil DeGrasse Tyson. 

Neil DeGrasse Tyson... I think I recognize that name.  Where have I seen him before?

Maybe it was on one of his many interviews on The Daily Show and Colbert Report?

Perhaps I've seen him in a totally sweet science-based jam?

Oh, that Neil DeGrasse Tyson!

Now you and I get to know him via the magical world of podcasts with the StarTalk Radio Show.

Although I probably shouldn't use the world "magical" in regards to a podcast steeped in progressive scientific thinking... so, uh, join me, won't you, as we travel into the realm of audio-based digital media that is StarTalk.

Relevant Links:
Main Site!
Want to know something about how the universe works?  Submit a question!

Twitter!
Archive!
StarTalk itself lacks a store, but feel free to check out some Neil DeGrasse Related items here.


You may have gathered that StarTalk is focused around the discussion of discoveries both recent and past, information regarding and just some cool facts about space.  StarTalk has featured throughout its many episodes meteorologists and astronomers to help explain what we can see from earth as well as astronauts and astrophysicists that can reveal all the interesting things that are busy existing in the greater universe.  

Tyson:  What's your most indelible memory from the entire Apollo era?
Roger Launius:No question, it's the moon landing.  It was very exciting but I got to tell you, as Neil set foot on the moon I was sitting on the hood of a car listening to the broadcast on the car radio, there was a girl beside me and let me tell you what was going on on the moon was not my first priority.

Content Rating:  As clean as the room they built the Hubble telescope lens in.  Which, from what I understand, was incredibly clean.  To be honest, there is a fair bit of innuendo-y jokes, but nothing that should make you blush.

Average Episode Length:  Kept tight around forty-seven to fifty minutes. 

I would be remiss in my review if I didn't include all the various guests that StarTalk boasts.  Neil Tyson DeGrasse manages to hook Jon Stewart, John Hodgman, Morgan Freeman (!), a bevvy of respectable NASA-related scientists, more astronauts than you can shake a stick at and when he's not talking to a guest he is chatting with his co-host Lynne Koplitz.  Koplitz provides an "everyman" voice for the podcast, making sure Tyson provides explanations for whatever topic he brings us and keeping him on his toes with witty banter.  It feels like Tyson does best when he has someone to talk with, rather than if he only had the listening audience to talk to, so Koplitz really helps make the show excellent. 

Tyson:  I love July!
Koplitz:  I love July, I love July in New York, it's a lot of fun.
Tyson: Why, what do you do?
Koplitz:  'Cause the men are so distracted by all the breasts that are out, it's just hilarious.  You can almost make taxi cabs wreck.
Tyson:So do you have notches on your bra for how many taxi cabs you've wrecked?
Koplitz:  I have notches on my bra for a lot of things but let's get on with the science, shall we?

Release Schedule:  StarTalk earns its status as a Radio Show by being broadcast live, every Sunday at 6pm Eastern. 

Music:  The opening song is ready to GET YOU PUMPED for astrophysics!

Drinking Game:  Take a drink everytime:
a) A Latin word is used.
b) Someone says an acronym.
c) An astronaut is interviewed.

Tyson:  What's your favorite element, by the way?
Jon Stewart:  I'm a huge carbon fan, I enjoy the molecular slut of the table of elements.

Unintentionally Good Part:  BILL NYE.  Most shows have a little introductory thing by Bill Nye!  Shut up, you know that's awesome.


Unintentionally Bad Part:   Well, this is one more nerd podcast so if you're not into DISCOVERING THE MAJESTY OF THE UNIVERSE, I guess you might not like it.  If things like AMAZING SCIENCE and FASCINATING INNOVATIONS don't catch your attention, then this podcast will not intrigue you.

Neil Tyson DeGrasse's love of discovery and science and math and all that kind of crap is palpable, and his enthusiasm is etched into this podcast.  His guests are erudite and often funny, it is just the right length for its content, and space is awesome.  So go give it a listen, won't you? 

1) Watch this YouTube video:


2) Go play a few rounds of Mad Libs.

3) Buy a retro shirt.  Your choice if you want to wear it ironically or not.

Now go pull up your bean bag chair, crack open a Crystal Pepsi and you're ready for Just My Show.

You're listening to Just My Show, your number one source for pop-culture.  Here's Eric!.

Relevant Links: 
Main Site
Download via iTunes
RSS Feed
Twitter
Store


Content Rating:  Clean.  Gets-rid-of-those-waxy-build-ups clean.

Do you remember something from the past that can be conclusively proven to be superior to comparable items that exist now?  Then Just My Show may be the thing to scratch your nostalgic itch.  Unfortunately, I'm not old enough to have actually experienced nostalgia yet, but I am looking forward to it!

Host Eric Greenberg is your guide through the wonderful world of Things That Were and are Still Considered Awesome.  He's got yer Top Gun, yer Wang Chung and yer Burt Young all in one place.  

Just My Show's main staple are the interviews of the celebrities, creators and innovators of the wide realm of past pop-culture.  The interview format is perfect for this podcast:  Eric is an excellent host, guiding his guests as they regale him with interesting stories and tidbits from their careers with.  The interviews are casual in tone and let you get to know the person behind the role they portrayed.  Another bonus is that the people being interviewed are not strangers to a press tour, so they have some practice when it comes to providing an interesting interview. 

And come on, he interviewed the guy behind Underoos!  How is that not interesting?



Average Episode Length: A test sample of 5 shows gives an average time of 52 minutes.  The shows looks like they can vary widely on times:  the shortest show is 7 minutes and 21 seconds, while the longest show clocks in at 1 hour, 23 minutes and 15 seconds.

Drinking Game: Damn, I already used Crystal Pepsi.  Perhaps you can enjoy a delicious Bartles and Jaymes?  

Release Schedule:  Previous releases look to be irregular, but now they look like they're set for a once a month schedule.  Considering that this podcast is highly dependent on reviews with celebrities, that's an impressive release schedule with all the wrangling it must get to record each interview.

Music:  A little opening song, a little ending song, I like it! 

Unintentionally Good Part:  Would it be odd to say that Just My Show has a fantastic website?  Apparently it was recently revamped and it's great!  Visually appealing, easy to navigate and there's lots of little fun tidbits tucked around the edges, like links to retro commercials for you to find. 

Unintentionally Bad Part:  The fact that the interviews are very specific to certain shows or aspects of pop-culture means a subscriber might go a few episodes without having anything pique their interests.  Fortunately this is balance by a fine archive, where listeners should be able to build up a buffer of episodes.

Just My Show: retro a-go-go, on the go... fo'  whenever you... want mo'?  Give it a listen!