Gweek
By Boing Boing
To listen to an audio podcast, mouse over the title and click Play. Open iTunes to download and subscribe to podcasts.
Podcast Description
The editors of Boing Boing talk about and interview the creators of comic books, science fiction, videogames, movies, and more.
| Name | Description | Released | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Gweek 052: Mystery in Space | Click here to play this episode. Gweek is Boing Boing's podcast about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My co-hosts for episode 52 are: Maggie Koerth-Baker: BoingBoing’s science editor, journalist, and author of Before the Lights Go Out, a new book about electric infrastructure and the future of energy. Michael Pusateri, a lifelong tinkerer and former television tech executive for Disney who blogs at cruftbox.com and our special guest Andy Ihnatko, technology journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times, and host of The Ihnatko Almanac podcast on the 5by5 network. In this episode: 645 Pro, a camera app for iPhone. Orbital, a one-thumb game for iPhone. Hipmunk, a great comparative airline pricing site. Battle of the X-Planes: Nova Rachele Gilmore’s 100 MPH fastball Coloraturas - Opera Arias Young Men of a Certain Mind, a graphic novel ebook by Lars Martinson Avengers: West Coast Avengers: Lost in Space and Time Berkeley Science Review Performing Flea, by P.G. Wodehouse Nerd Nite magazine Mystery in Space, science fiction comic book. Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker, by Kevin Mitnick Sound of My Voice Character Model | 5/17/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
2 |
Gweek 051: Blair Butler of G4's Fresh Ink | Click here to play this episode. Gweek is Boing Boing's podcast about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My co-hosts for episode 51 are: Michael Pusateri: a lifelong tinkerer and former television tech executive for Disney who blogs at cruftbox.com Blair Butler: Writer, comedian, and G4's geek goddess and resident comic book expert. She hosts the "Fresh Ink" comic book segment on the G4 TV program, Attack of the Show! In this episode: The upcoming SpaceX launch Blair Butler's comic book, Heart. Womanthology, a comics anthology completely funded by Kickstarter. Blair has a story in it. Dial H for Heroes, a comic book written by China Mieville. Blair: Why the new John Carter: The Gods of Mars comic is better than the movie. Blair's comic picks: Fatale, Saga, Mind the Gap, Scott Snyder’s Batman, Greg Rucka’s Punisher. National Geographic’s Angry Birds Space book is a lot better than Mark would have thought. And lots more about movies, video games, apps, and gadgets! | 5/11/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
3 |
ExplicitGweek 050: Robot movies, Stupid Fun, and Zombie Boobs | Click here to play this episode. Gweek is Boing Boing's podcast about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My co-hosts for episode 50 are: Maggie Koerth-Baker: Boing Boing’s science editor, journalist, and author of Before the Lights Go Out, a new book about electric infrastructure and the future of energy. Dean Putney: Boing Boing’s software developer and an unapologetically snappy dresser. Ruben Bolling: author of the weekly comic strip Tom the Dancing Bug, which premieres each week on Boing Boing. I signed up for his Inner Hive newsletter and if you like Gweek you will love this, too. Mitch O’Connell: one of my all-time favorite artists and incredible ephemera collector. In this episode: Mitch's excellent artwork. Pre-order his book here! Dean: Robot Film Festival Dean: Lost Horizon Night Market in San Francisco Ruben: Government Issue: Comics for the People Maggie: Drop Dead Healthy. (This is the third time this book has been praised on Gweek. Everyone loves it. Here's my interview with the author, A.J. Jacobs.) Mark: Leviathan, graphic novel of a gigantic cruise ship lost at sea for 20 years. Ruben: Patton Oswalt: Finest Hour Ruben: Paul F. Tompkins, Laboring Under Delusions Dean: Being Elmo Mark: The Cabin in the Woods Ruben: Disney-produced World War II insignia and more here. Maggie: Cool train car rental service - here, here, and here. Dean: Animation Smears Mark: Noisemusick Mark: Stupid Fun Club Medallion - an encoded secret message (photo 1, photo 2) | 5/4/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
4 |
ExplicitGweek 049: "I'm the son of Tinkerbell" | Gweek is Boing Boing's podcast about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My co-hosts for episode 49 are Michael Pusateri, a lifelong tinkerer and former television tech executive for Disney who blogs at cruftbox.com, and Kevin Mack, an artist and visual effects supervisor. In this episode: Mark's Wired profile of Kevin Mack, written in 1999. Kevin Mack's mother posing as Tinkerbell. Kevin Mack's art site. Michael's book pick: Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection Mark's book pick: Gonzo: A Graphic Biography of Hunter S. Thompson <img src="http://boingboing.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/mp.jpg" height="228" width="15 | 4/28/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
5 |
Gweek 048: A Startling Look Into the World That's Coming! | Gweek is Boing Boing's podcast about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My co-hosts for episode 48 are Michael Pusateri, a lifelong tinkerer and former television tech executive for Disney who blogs at cruftbox.com, Rob Beschizza, Boing Boing’s managing editor, and Peter Bebergal, the author of Too Much to Dream: A Psychedelic American Boyhood (Soft Skull Press) who writes frequently on the speculative and slightly fringe. He blogs at mysterytheater.blogspot.com. In this episode: We discuss Peter Bebergal's book, Too Much to Dream: A Psychedelic American Boyhood. Peter shares his story of a Johnson Smith catalog fail as a child. Michael has good things to say about the comic book, Fanboys Vs. Zombies. Peter recommends The White People and Other Weird Stories, by Arthur Machen. Peter likes the new Daredevil comic book by Mark Waid. Mark goes on and on about the upcoming Popeye comic book. In music, Rob has several recommendations: The Belbury Tales, by Belbury Poly; Itsy Bits & Bubbles, by Twink; and Com Truise's stuff in general. Peter recommends the EP Earth Has Doors by Wymond Miles; and A Young Persons Guide by Mark McGuire. In movies, Michael recommends the 2006 movies The Fall. Websites! Michael recommends the website Prismatic, Mark likes the Dark Gate Comic Slurper, and Peter likes the Grand Comics Database. In apps, Rob likes 1-Bit Camera. Peter recommends OSRIC, the Old School Reference & Index Compilation Mark likes the Lumin app that turns his iPhone into a $400 magnifying glass. In tools, Michael likes the True Utility Key Tool (not to be confused with the False Utility Key Tool) Peter talks about the joy of Analog synth kits, especially kits from GetLoFi . Mark feels happy wearing his Nobis Anorak. | 4/19/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
6 |
Gweek 047: Drop Dead Healthy | Gweek is Boing Boing's podcast about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. In this episode, I interviewed author A.J. Jacobs. In his 2005 book, The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World, A.J. committed himself to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. In 2007 he wrote The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible, he lived by the rules of the Bible, and ended up wearing a white robe and a very full beard. In his new book, Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection, A.J. followed a bunch of extreme self-improvement techniques, including a raw food diet, the paleo diet, libido boosting techniques, and unusual exercise regimens. | 4/10/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
7 |
Gweek 046: How to See the Fourth Dimension | Gweek is Boing Boing's podcast about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My co-hosts for episode 46 are Dean Putney, Boing Boing’s software wrangler and the Johnny Appleseed of weird awesomeness, and Glenn Fleishman, a long-time tech reporter, a hacky perl programmer, and one of the writers of the Economist.com’s Babbage blog on technology and culture. In this episode: Dean was accidentally the first male guest on the Vaginal Fantasy Hangout podcast! Glenn initiates a discussion about Kickstarter, and his plans to kickstart a book about Kickstarter. "Having brought in $84 million in cash for 12,000 projects in 2011 and just having had its first three million-dollar-plus projects in rapid succession, how is Kickstarter changing funding for artists, filmmakers, and industrial designers?" Glenn has been reading Suicide Squad’s New 52 reboot. "I’m not a fan of the whole DC thing, and haven’t been a solid comic reader in years. But I love Suicide Squad and I’m afraid that says something terrible about my psyche." Dean liked Craig Thompson's massive, award-winning graphic novel, Blankets. Mark told Dean to read Thompson's most recent graphic novel, Habibi Mark recommends Ryan Rigney's book, Buttonless: Incredible iPhone and iPad Games and the Stories Behind Them Glenn says: "I’ve been watching (via UK feeds) BBC’s Dirk Gently, the three episode adaptation of Douglas Adam’s character. Remarkably good." How does Glenn get around the region-blocking technology that the BBC uses to lock out non UK viewers? Tunnelbear! Dean's mind-blowing website of the week is Stratocam. Dean explains the appeal of the iOS app, Draw Something. Glenn talks about Pokemon: "My older son is learning the game, and I have some reflections on getting sucked into his madness." Mark was impressed by The Fourth Dimension, an app that helps you visualize the fourth dimension. Mark likes Snapheal, a simple OS X app that lets you easily remove unwanted objects from your photos. Dean raves about Luma Labs's Cinch camera strap. Mark describes why he likes Rickshaw bags so much. | 4/6/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
8 |
Gweek 045: Extra Super Grab Bag of Cool Movies, Sites, Apps, Gadgets, and Other Neat Stuff | Gweek is Boing Boing's podcast about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My co-hosts for episode 45 are Ruben Bolling, the celebrated cartoonist whose comic, Tom the Dancing Bug premieres weekly on Boing Boing; Michael Pusateri, a lifelong tinkerer and former television tech executive for Disney; and Matt Haughey, author, web designer and founder of MetaFilter. In this episode: Gweek is giving away a PlugBug! Listen to the podcast to learn how to enter. Matt Haughey's presentation at Webstock on New Zealand. Ruben and others filled in for Richard Thompson's comic strip Cul de Sac while Thompson was getting treatment for Parkinson's disease. Aziz Ansari's $5 online special. Mike Daisey's talk in Georgetown, his first public speaking gig after This American Life. (Daisey's blog post on Sunday is pretty close to an apology.) Ruben reviews an extraordinary young adult novel called Wonder, by R.J. Palacio Mark reviews the newMoleskine Lego Notebook. John Carter has lost $200 million, but the Gweeksters like the movie. Matt likes the movie, Boy and Mark likes A Separation. Michael mentions his self published edition of A Princess of Mars. Matt recommends two albums: Miike Snow's Happy To You and fun's Some Nights. Mike talks about the funny website, Out of Context Science. Michael has been enjoying the alternate reality game for runners called Zombies, Run!. Matt's pick is a recipe app called Appetites, and Mark has been playing Match Panic. Matt got a Nike+ Fuelband before they sold out. They are beautiful. Also mentioned: Rick Steves' Iran, Miike Snow video, Rdio blog for finding new music, MattBites mentioned in the cooking app segment . | 3/25/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
9 |
Gweek 044: Sarah Vowell interviewed about her book Unfamiliar Fishes | In Gweek episode 044, I interviewed Sarah Vowell about her book Unfamiliar Fishes. It's a history of Hawaii between the time of the arrival of the first Christian missionaries and its annexation to the United States in the late 1890s. | 3/19/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
10 |
Gweek 043: Cashcats.biz | Gweek is a weekly podcast where the editors and friends of Boing Boing talk about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My co-hosts on episode 043 are Dean Putney, Boing Boing’s coding and development wizard, Michael Pusateri, a lifelong tinkerer and former television tech executive for Disney, and Veronica Belmont, the co-host of three great shows: Tekzilla, Sword and Laser, and Game On! Below are the show notes for Episode 043. Dean recommends so cool indie games he checked out at the Game Development Conference (Proteus, Uprok, Joust, and Chicken Bandit) Veronica and her friends, Bonnie Burton, Felicia Day, and Kiala Kazebee, have a new monthly book club podcast about the latest in paranormal romance called Vaginal Fantasy Hangout Veronica says her Kindle has been committing acts of violence lately Veronica says that Mass Effect 3 is the first game to tear her away from Skyrim. Mike's made his first batch of moonshine! Mark shares Myshkin Ingawale's amazing TED Fellow presentation at TED2012. Dean went to the Image Comics Expo in Oakland and said his two favorite discoveries were Reed Gunther and Street Comics. Mike reports that the creators of the comic Atomic Robo (which was John Hodgman's pick when he was on Gweek a while ago) have a Kickstarter to produce a video short. Mark's Audible pick this week is the literary thriller, The Book of Air and Shadows, by Michael Gruber. Veronica recommends the dramatic science fiction story, Another Earth. Mark and Veronica talk a bit about Reamde (Veronica liked it, Mark liked it except for the end) and 1Q84 (Veronica said she "slogged through it" and Mark is probably not going to read it now) Mark enjoyed the science fiction movie Chronicle, about three teenagers who gain the power of telekineses. It's like a A Simple Plan for high schoolers. Dean invites you to click on omfgdogs.com at your peril, but if you don't visit cashcats.biz, you will miss out on something amazing. Mark shares one on his longtime favorite music sites, Bedazzled. Veronica likes an iPhone apps called CatPaint, which lets you add all kinds of cats to your photos. Mike shares a useful and free shopper's price comparison and unit conversion calculator called Apples2Oranges Dean says Superfeet insoles are his "secret weapon." We have a discussion about the new iPad. Verdict: we all want one. Mike likes the functional bike stem caps at Stem Captain. I'm disappointed they didn't call it Stem Cap'n, though. Mark explains why the Clevercat Litter Boxis a gopodsend. If you enjoy Gweek, please rate it in the iTunes Store -- thanks! | 3/9/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
11 |
Gweek 042: Man vs. Mycotoxin | ]Gweek is a weekly podcast where the editors and friends of Boing Boing talk about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. I was at the TED2012 conference in Long Beach last week, so I didn’t have time to record a regular episode of Gweek with the other Boing Boing folks. So this week, I’m running an interview I recently did with Dave Asprey, a very interesting guy who has spent the last 15 years experimenting with ways to "hack his own biology." Dave experiments with supplements, sleep techniques, medical devices, fasting and dieting, and other things to improve his physical and mental health. You can find out more about him at bulletproofexec.com. If you enjoy Gweek, please rate it in the iTunes Store -- thanks! | 3/5/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
12 |
Gweek 041: Under the Moons of Mars | Gweek is a weekly podcast where the editors and friends of Boing Boing talk about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My co-hosts on episode 41 are Dean Putney, Boing Boing’s coding and development wizard, and Michael Pusateri, a lifelong tinkerer and former television tech executive for Disney. Visit his blog, cruftbox.com. Below is a list of the things we talked about in Gweek episode 40. (Sure, you could just click on the links below to learn about them without listening to the podcast, but then you will miss out on our discussion about whether or not Tarzan shrank in Tarzan and the Ant Men or not.) If you enjoy Gweek, please rate it in the iTunes Store -- thanks! Dean went to the Rineke Dijkstra exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Mike talks about a new TV-to-any-device-you-want-service called Aeero. Mark and his daughter Jane went to a at Arts ReFoundry in Los Angeles to make bronze mini-sculptures. Even if you don't live in LA, you can order a bronze buckle kit for $110, which includes pouring. Mark announced the winner of the Gweek Secret contest. Congratulations, Eric Z. Goodnight! Mike recommends Under the Moons of Mars, a book of contemporary short stories that place in Edgar Rice Burrough's Barsoom. Mentioned: Philip Jose Farmer's Tarzan novels: Tarzan Alive, A Feast Unknown, Lord of the Trees and The Mad Goblin and ERB's Tarzan and the Ant Men Mark recommended Baby's in Black a graphic novel love story about photographer Astrid Kirchherr and Beatles bass player Stuart Sutcliffe in the early days of the band. Mark also recommended the stunning new graphic novel by Tom Gauld, Goliath, the biblical tale told from the giant's perspective. Mike's soundtrack while he worked this week was Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians Dean likes Command Line Fu to find neat commands. Mike scared me with a personal information search site called Melconcard. Mark is enjoying the Kameoka Diaries, a webcomic about Lars Martinson's experiences teaching English to students in Japan. Mark likes Timehop, a web service that sends you an email each morning with your Tweets, Facebook postings, Foursquare, and Instagram activity from a year ago today. Dean has been enjoying Super Going, a site where your friends send you on fun missions. Dean bought two "indispensable" low-priced accessories for his phone and computer: the Wrapster and Power Curl, both by Quirky. Mike explains why One Good Earbud is a good idea for people who like to run or ride bikes and listen to music at the same time. Mark enjoys play with the HDR and tilt-shift functions on his Canon S95 point-and-shoot camera. | 2/24/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
13 |
Gweek 040: My Friend Dahmer | Gweek is a weekly podcast where the editors and friends of Boing Boing talk about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My hosts on episode 40 are are cartoonist Ruben Bolling, whose comic, Tom the Dancing Bug premieres weekly on Boing Boing, and Dean Putney, Boing Boing’s coding and development wizard. Our guest this week is two-time Eisner Award winning cartoonist Derf Backderf, creator of the amazing comic The City, which has been running in alternative weekly newspapers for 22 years. He’s the author of the graphic novel Punk Rock and Trailer Parks, which was selected for The Best American Comics 2010. He’s got a new autobiographical graphic novel out about his high-school friendship with the infamous serial murder and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer, called My Friend Dahmer. Robert Crumb, who rarely gives endorsements for anyone or anything, says My Friend Dahmeris a “well-told, powerful story. Backderf is quite skilled in using comics to tell this tale of a truly weird and sinister 1970s adolescent world.” Below is a list of the things we talked about in Gweek episode 40. (Sure, you could just click on the links below to learn about them without listening to the podcast, but then you will miss out on our discussion about whether or not Terry Richardson owns more than one flannel shirt.) If you enjoy Gweek, please rate it in the iTunes Store -- thanks! Most of this episode of Gweek is a fascinating discussion with Derf about his high school pal Jeffrey Dahmer, and Derf's new graphic novel My Friend Dahmer. Dean turned us on to Maddie on Things, a blog of photos of a coonhound named Maddie who likes to stand on things that dogs don't normally stand on. What will Maddie stand on next? Dean gives a thumbs up to fashion photographer Terry Richardson’s Diary Mark likes Comic Viewer, an iPad app for reading digital comics. And once you've installed Comic Viewer, head over to The Big Blog of Kids' Comics! and fill your iPad with mid-century four-color wonder. Ruben likes Sugar & Spike comics so much that he's willing to pay $59.99 for this archive edition. But who can blame him? This is one of the best kids' comics of all time! The Toon Treasury of Classic Children's Comics, edited by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly is a massive anthology of old comic book stories for kids, and is a big hit around Mark's house. The oversize format and 350 pages make for a delightful reading experience. I'm so happy that lots of old comic book stories that otherwise would have been forgotten are being reprinted in fat, inexpensive anthologies like this one: The Golden Treasury of Krazy Kool Klassic Kids' Komics, edited by Craig Yoe. My daughter and I are having a wonderful time reading these funny and deeply weird children's comic book stories from the 1940s and 1950s, featuring art by some of the tops names in the field: Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Carl Barks, Walt Kelly, Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood, and other cartoon giants. At 304 pages, we'll get many nights of entertainment out of this collection. | 2/17/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
14 |
Gweek 039: Double Fine Donkey | Gweek is a weekly podcast where the editors and friends of Boing Boing talk about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My hosts on episode 38 are Dean Putney, Boing Boing’s coding and development wizard, Rob Beschizza, Boing Boing’s managing editor (who gets cut of because he had a crappy Skype connection), and Michael Pusateri, a lifelong tinkerer and former television tech executive for Disney. Visit his blog, cruftbox.com. Below is a list of the things we talked about in Gweek episode 39. (Sure, you could just click on the links below to learn about them without listening to the podcast, but then you will miss out on our discussion of a foolproof method for winning big at the horse races.) If you enjoy Gweek, please rate it in the iTunes Store -- thanks! The Elevation iPhone dock on Kickstarter breaks $1 million. A partially crowd funded sci-fi epic called Iron Sky. Double Fine Adventure’s Kickstarter breaks $1m in 24 hours. Michael says The Wool Omnibus is terrific science fiction. Twenty 5-star ratings on Amazon and no 4-, 3-, 2-, or 1-star ratings! Mike also recommends It's All About the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels, about a guy who presents the history of the bicycle while build his dream bike, part-by-part. Mike explains why the new Aquaman comic book is worth reading. Giant's Beware is a wonderful graphic novel about a tough little girl who goes after a monster that eats babies' feet, says Mark. Dean's listening to Planet High School by Mux Mool. Mark's listening to Lana Del Rey’s Video Games slowed to 3 hours. Say hi to Mike, Dean, and Mark over at Chime.in. Dean leads us down the sometime NSFW but always fascinating The Internet K-Hole. It's the best photo book of America I've ever seen. The Steam Workshop for Skyrim, is cool, says Mike. Back when Bill Gates was an indie game developer, he co-wrote the thrilling DONKEY.BAS.Now you can play it on your iPhone. It's easy to make your own moonshine with gear from Home Distiller! | 2/13/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
15 |
Gweek 038: Puzzlejuice Pigs | Gweek is a weekly podcast where the editors and friends of Boing Boing talk about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My hosts on episode 38 are Dean Putney, Boing Boing’s coding and development wizard, Boing Boing alum Joel Johnson of Animal New York, and Dannel Jurado, a software engineer from Peru who’s working at Etsy and, by Dean’s description, "is deeply ingrained in 8 bit music, geek culture, craft and software." Listen to the episode here. Below is a list of the things we talked about in Gweek episode 38. (Sure, you could just click on the links below to learn about them without listening to the podcast, but then you will miss out on the mind-blowing insights we shared in the episode.) If you enjoy Gweek, please rate it in the iTunes Store -- thanks! Johann Sebastian Joust in Yerba Buena Gardens "basically like high-tech tag. Each person has a Playstation Move controller, and the object of the game is to jostle other people's controllers so that you're the last man standing." Playing Dungeons and Dragons via Skype. A new Jim Woodring T-Shirt in the Boing Boing Shop! After doing all sorts of cool stuff for Gawker Media, Joel is going to Animal New York. Joel reviews the book, Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens. Dean digs LibriVox, a site where volunteers record public domain books into audiobooks. (Here's A Princess of Mars, read by Mark Nelson) Joel recommends Conan Doyle’s The White Company (free on Gutenberg), "about archers from England who go to France to wage war and plunder … it comes off like Jack Vance." Mark reviews the graphic novel Pigs: Hello Cruel World. Joel saw two movies this week: A Dangerous Method (and Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud and Sabina Spielrein, "the beautiful but disturbed young woman who comes between them") and The Rum Diary (based on Hunter S. Thompson's autobiographical novel). Mark told Joel to read Gonzo: the Life of Hunter S. Thompson, which consists of anecdotes culled from interviews with 120 of Thompson's acquaintances, beginning with his childhood in Kentucky and ending with his death in 2005 in Woody Creek, Colorado. Roots, by Danimal Cannon. Cannon wrote: "Every song on this album was composed using a Nintendo Gameboy DMG-01 running the homebrew software LSDJ. If you download the album I've also included the .sav files so feel free to learn my tricks, remix, or whatever!" Dannel also runs a cool music blog. Joel gives his first impression Hero Academy, a free, turn-based RPG strategy game for iOS. He also excited about news of an X-Com revival. Dannel recommends an iOS game called Puzzlejuice, which is a bit like Tetris with the added challenge of having to spell words using tiles with letters on them. Dean loves his Fujitsu ScanSnap sheet-fed document scanner Download Gweek 037 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 2/6/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
16 |
Gweek 037: Donald Duck is High on Arrival | Gweek is a weekly podcast where the editors and friends of Boing Boing talk about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My hosts on episode 37 are cartoonist Ruben Bolling, whose comic, Tom the Dancing Bug, premieres weekly on Boing Boing, and Dean Putney, Boing Boing’s coding and development wizard, and Maggie Koerth-Baker, Boing Boing's science editor. Like last week, we talked about a bunch of stuff. Listen to the episode here. Below is a list of the things we talked about in Gweek episode 37. (Sure, you could just click on the links below to learn about them without listening to the podcast, but then you will miss out on the sleazy gossip we shared between recommendations.) If you enjoy Gweek, please rate it in the iTunes Store -- thanks! Amazon Mechanical Turk -- Dean has been taking articles and paying people a dollar to record audio versions of them. Excerpt of article that Dean got someone to read for him. Should Dean ask Mechanical Turk to read James Joyce's dirty letters to Nora? Maggie describes what she learned at a video making workshop at Science Online 2012. Ruben explains why NY Mets knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey is a cool geek. Mark tells Dean how to make coconut coffee, using the Magic Bullet, and the Aeropress. This is based on the recipe on The Bulletproof Executive. Maggie likes Garth Ennis's The Boys comic book series about CIA operatives who are tasked with keeping corrupt superheroes in check, but she has reservations about it: "I enjoy it, but at the same time I feel like Ennis is so obviously working so hard to make me feel offended and scandalized and it seems like the harder he works at it, the less it works. It’s like telegraphing a punch. I’m starting to just feel bad for him." Maggie reviews The Power of Habit, which is "about why we have habits and what you can actually do to change them." Ruben reviews the 368-page Spy vs. Spy Omnibus, which has every "Spy vs. Spy" comic that Antonio Prohias did for MAD magazine since the 1960s. Ruben gets his hands on a copy of Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes, the first volume of Fantagraphics' The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library. (Spoiler: it's superb.) Mark review's Mackenzie Phillip's autobiography, High on Arrival. I'm glad she survived a surreal and often hellish half-century. Ruben recommends Cartoon Brew, a great cartoon news and analysis site. One of Cartoon Brew's editors, Amid Amidi, wrote a wonderful book about 1950s animation called Cartoon Modern. Mark plugs a new podcast he launched called Make: Talk, which has interviews with makers from MAKE magazine as well as news from the world of MAKE, Maker Faire, Make: Online, and Maker Shed. Dean previews a new app for iPhone called Clear, a "very slick app for to-do items." We'd like to give a special thanks to EdgeCast Networks, our bandwidth provider and sponsor! Download Gweek 037 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s Gweek is on Stitcher! | 1/28/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
17 |
Gweek 036: Grab bag of comics, book, gadgets, apps, and websites we love | Gweek is a weekly podcast where the editors and friends of Boing Boing talk about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My hosts on episode 36 are cartoonist Ruben Bolling, whose comic, Tom the Dancing Bug, premieres weekly on Boing Boing, and Dean Putney, Boing Boing’s coding and development wizard. We had a great time talking about a bunch of different stuff this time. Listen to the episode here. Below is a list of the things we talked about in Gweek episode 36. (Sure, you could just click on the links below to learn about them without listening to the podcast, but then you will miss out on the scintillating conversation we had about these remarkable curios.) If you enjoy Gweek, please rate it in the iTunes Store -- thanks! Tom the Dancing Bug Jonathan Coulton Doc Fermento Discovers the World podcast The Bulletproof Executive Writing Movies for Fun and Profit: How We Made a Billion Dollars at the Box Office and You Can, Too!, by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon Jack Davis: Drawing American Pop Culture: A Career Retrospective The Adventures of Tintin Crudbump: Real Art Toothpaste for Dinner Young Adult Big Blog of Kids’ Comics! Hey Skinny! Great Advertisements from the Golden Age of Comic Books Nothing to Do With Arbroath Kinotopic Boing Boing’s B-Side iSimple Weider Adjustable Kettle Bell We'd like to give a special thanks to EdgeCast Networks, our bandwidth provider and sponsor! Download Gweek 036 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s Gweek is on Stitcher! | 1/23/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
18 |
Gweek 035: Interview with Robert Anton Wilson's daughter | In this special episode of Gweek we interviewed Christina Wilson, the daughter of Robert Anton Wilson. Before interviewing Christina, I really didn't know much about Robert Anton Wilson's personal life, other than what he shared in his memoir, Cosmic Trigger. It was very interesting to learn more about Bob from his daughter. Joining me in the interview is Carla Sinclair, who cofounded the print edition of bOING bOING with me back in 1988! | 1/12/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
19 |
ExplicitGweek 034: Giant Jenga! | Our guest for Gweek podcast 034 is fashion designer Diana Eng, who blends technology with clothing in interesting ways. My cohost is our own Boing Boing science editor, Maggie Koerth-Baker. We sure talked about a lot of things in this episode! Here are the links: Diana’s Bioluminescent jellyfish dress Diana’s laser cut T-shirts Collab in Soho Hack Factory in Minneapolis Diana’s Yagi Antennae Douglas's Umbrella and yarn antenna I’m Just Here for More Food, by Alton Brown Super Mario Brothers piano transcription by Philip Kim Lego Heroica adventure game Dominion Entertaining Science Experiments with Everyday Objects Childcraft Encyclopedia The Human Body: What It Is and How It Works Douglas J. Eng Photography The Transportationist.org Jelly Shot Test Kitchen 11foot8.com Giant Jenga Apps for Kids: Robot Wants Kitty Mood Ring for iPhone | 1/9/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
20 |
ExplicitGweek 033: Jesse Thorn | Dean Putney and I are joined by Jesse Thorn, the creator and host of the long-running and fantastic radio show and podcast formerly known as The Sound of Young America. Jesse’s also the co-creator and bailiff on the Judge John Hodgman podcast, and the founder of the MaximumFun.org podcast network. Here’s the neat stuff we talked about in this episode: Bullseye with Jesse Thorn Subscribe to Bullseye on iTunes Free torrent of entire Sound of Young America archive MaxFunCon 2012 The Judge John Hodgman Podcast The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan The Maker of Universes, by Philip Jose Farmer Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: Seeking History and Hidden Gems in Flea-Market America by Maureen Stanton Objective-C Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide by Aaron Hillegass Said The Gramophone’s best songs of 2011 ASAP Rocky - LiveLoveASAP Put This On Film Noir on Archive.org Khraigslist Meanwhile | 12/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
21 |
Gweek 032: Bitter Seeds and the Game of Go | Our guest host is podcaster and technology journalist Tom Merritt. Sword and Laser Podcast Tom Merritt’s SuBBrilliant News FourCast podcast Frame Rate Tech History Today Apps for Kids Triangulation FSL Tonight Handmade Music Factory Bitter Seeds, by Ian Tregillis IQ84 Simplee The Perry Bible Fellowship Wondermark Temple Run SpellTower SmartGo Kifu Logitech Revue Tom Merritt’s website and Twitter account | 12/26/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
22 |
ExplicitGweek 031: The Strange Talent of Luther Strode | Welcome to the Gweek podcast, episode 31! Gweek is where the editors and friends of Boing Boing talk about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. In this episode I am joined by Boing Boing’s technology and coding maestro, Dean Putney, and cartoonist Ruben Bolling, whose comic, Tom the Dancing Bug premieres weekly on Boing Boing. Our guest today is Veronica Belmont, the co-host of the Revision3 show Tekzilla, the co-host of a science-fiction and fantasy book podcast called Sword and Laser, and the upcoming video game show on the TWiT network, called Game On! She is also a technology writer and blogger and very entertaining tweeter. Welcome to Gweek, Veronica! Game On! Veronica's upcoming video game show National Novel Writing Month Boing Boing’s Submitterator Young Adult We Need to Talk About Kevin The Rum Diary The Blade Itself, by Joe Abercrombie 1Q84, by Haruki Murakami Kiss Me Like a Stranger, by Gene Wilder Peanuts #0 Peanuts Snoopy 50s Version The Strange Talent of Luther Strode LensHawk Paul Krugman’s Blog MagicHour Windosill Pocket Casts Style Kouncil We'd like to give a special thanks EdgeCast Networks, our bandwidth provider and sponsor! | 12/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
23 |
ExplicitGweek 030: Supergods, Mutants, and Mystics | My cohost for this episode of Gweek is my old friend Barry McWilliams, a designer/art director who has turned me on to a great many wonderful books, comics, games, apps, drawing tools, and so on. In this episode, Barry has a ton of recommendations for cool stuff: Gallery Girls Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School Dropbox Sketchbook Pro Sketchbook Express Cartoon Colour Company Supergods, by Grant Morrison Mutants and Mystics, by Jeffrey J. Kripal Dungeon Quest: Book 1, by Joe Daly Grubhub.com Pixelovely Gesture Drawing Tool Love Castle pose reference Stu Maschwitz's post on storyboarding with an iPad & Penultimate Wacom Bamboo Stylus Stephen Silver's Posebook, iPhone & iPad Zeo Sleep Monitor Wacom Inkling Pentel Pocket Brush Pen | 12/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
24 |
ExplicitGweek 029: A grab bag of games, apps, books, and sex-farce comics we love | Boing Boing’s Rob, Maggie, and Mark, and cartoonist Ruben Bolling gabbed excitedly for over an hour about books, games, TV shows, writing implements, comic books, and more! Maggie talks about her book, Before the Lights Go Out: Conquering the Energy Crisis Before It Conquers Us, which comes out from Wiley & Sons on April 10. Rob talks about how great Skyrim is, and why that makes its big flaws stand out even more. Ruben and Mark agree that The Hobbit is wonderful and The Lord of the Rings is boring. They can hardly wait for the abusive comments they'll receive in the comments. Maggie recommends Oglaf the “extremely well-done sex farce comic set in a stereotypical fantasy world.” Mark reviews the upcoming movie John Carter based solely on the trailer. Ruben and Mark agree that A Princess of Mars is a very good novel. Mark recounts a personal story involving Edgar Rice Burroughs and his biography. Maggie reveals a spoiler from the first season of The Walking Dead, but for a very good reason. Ruben recommends the Spider-Man Marvel Masterworks Vols. 12 and 13 (1972-1973) anthologies, which feature Spider-Man in his heyday, as “written” by Stan Lee and drawn by John Romita. Maggie talks about a Carl Zimmer’s Science Ink --- a coffee table photo book of awesome science-themed tattoos. Maggie discusses The Third Industrial Revolution, by Jeremy Rifkin -- "a book about the future of energy where I totally agree with the big-picture points and disagree with the details," she says. "It’s also reminding me of why I get twitchy around 'true believers.'" Gweek listener Barry Barker recommend’s Fisher Space Pens' Bullet models. Maggie tells Ruben how much she loved Ruben's comic about Ulysses, which she read when she was 17. (It should be on the front page of Ruben's site by the time you read this). | 12/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
25 |
Gweek 028: The Amazing Adventures of Phoenix Jones | David Pescovitz and Mark Frauenfelder speak with Jon Ronson, a journalist, documentary filmmaker, and the author of the bestselling books, The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry and The Men Who Stare at Goats. Jon’s latest work is a very short book, or long article, available as an ebook, called The Amazing Adventures of Phoenix Jones, which explores the growing phenomenon of real life superheroes. It’s available as an eBook through Amazon and other online ebooksellers. (Photo of Jon Ronson by Barney Poole) Here's Jon's descriptions of his interests: Most of all, I suppose, I write about mysterious worlds. I write about them in as human a way as I can. These worlds have included powerful secret societies like Bohemian Grove and The Bilderberg Group (I infiltrated them in my book Them), extremist communities - Islamic militants, politically correct Klansmen (also in Them), people who believe the world is ruled by 12-foot shape-shifting lizards (Them), and Military Intelligence chiefs who believe it possibe to pass through walls and kill goats just by staring at them (The Men Who Stare At Goats). In Goats, I also look at how these crazy ideas have mutated themselves and live on in the War on Terror. | 11/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
26 |
Gweek 027: We Are All Weird | In this episode of Gweek, Mark Frauenfelder is joined by Boing Boing's managing editor Rob Beschizza and Seth Godin, an author, entrepreneur, and human wunderkammer. Here's what we talked about: The Domino Project: Seth's partnership with Amazon to publish short books loaded with useful ideas Searching for an adjustable standing desk that doesn't cost a fortune Test driving the Mitsubishi i electric car The undiscovered or overlooked or underappreciated work of John Taylor Gatto, eduction reformer A wonderful how to book called Handmade Music Factory: The Ultimate Guide to Making Foot-Stompin'-Good Instruments Penguin Magic Shop: An online magic trick store with good video demos Sasha Dichter: Reflections on generosity, philanthropy and social change Collin's Lab: excellent introductory videos to electronics Bizarro comics Seth's fondness for buckwheat soba noodles Bobo Explores Light: A swell iPad app that teaches kids about light Rising Card: A great $0.99 iPhone magic trick Kaweco Liliput Ballpoint Pen from JetPens Sous Vide Turkey for Thanksgiving Download Gweek 027 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 11/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
27 |
Gweek 026: A heavily medicated ren faire | NOTE: If you did not get Gweek episodes 24 - 26, then please re-subscribe using this feed URL. In this episode of Gweek, I'm joined by Boing Boing’s managing editor, Rob Beschizza, and Joel Johnson, editorial director of Kotaku. Here's what we talked about: The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Rob has been playing it incessantly but says it feels "like walking around a ren faire where everyone is heavily medicated." Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure Starter Pack Minecraft is going 1.0 Kotaku’s upcoming gift guides Make’s Ultimate Kit Guide Joel read The Postmortal tng_s8 Mixel - a free iPad collage app Mark's Dungeon Raid addiction relapse Mophie Juice Pack Plus Outdoor Edition iPhone 4S and Siri Download Gweek 026 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 11/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
28 |
Gweek 025: Michael Kupperman | In this episode of Gweek, Ruben Bolling and I are joined by the cartoonist and illustrator Michael Kupperman, who has a hilarious new book out, called Mark Twain's Autobiography 1910-2010. Ruben interviewed Michael about his work and then the three of us went on to talk about the folllowing things: I got rid of my standing desk last week and am looking for a better solution. Using an hour-timer as a self-check throughout the day Esther Williams' autobiography, The Million Dollar Mermaid Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson Cul de Sac Golden Treasury, by Richard Thompson Orchid Twitter Uni-watch: The Obessive Study of Athletic Aesthetics Secret Fun Blog The Walking Dead TV show The Last Man Alive Download Gweek 025 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 11/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
29 |
Gweek 024: John Hodgman | John Hodgman talks about his new book, THAT IS ALL, and we discuss our favorite comic book stores, books, and comic books. | 10/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
30 |
Gweek 023: Cool apps and websites | Gweek is a podcast where the editors and friends of Boing Boing talk about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps and other neat stuff. In episode 023, Boing Boing’s managing editor Rob Beschizza and I spoke with David-Michel Davies, the executive director of The Webby Awards and the chairman & co-founder of Internet Week New York. DMD shared a bunch of recommendations for cool apps and websites, and Rob and I talked about a few of our own favorites. See the list after the jump. We closed with a terrific song called "KABOOM!" by the 8-bit-happy band I Fight Dragons. APPS * Runpee * Siri * Tripit & Flightcaster * Gifshop * Roadside America * Smart.fm * Audubon Guides (image above is from their Guide to Mushrooms) * Flashcards Plus Pro * Eric Carle's My Very First App WEBSITES * AsciiFlow * Nerdy Day Trips * Historypin * Gif.tv * Let Me Google That For You * Percolate * Google Hangouts : Whiskey Tastings, Cooking School, Dark Musk Gigcasts, etc. * TinEye Reverse Image Search * Have a Mint * HTML ipsum * Internet Anagram Server * Color Scheme Designer We'd like to give a special thanks EdgeCast Networks, our bandwidth provider and sponsor! Download Gweek 023 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 10/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
31 |
Gweek 022: The Fishbone Documentary | In this episode of Gweek, I interviewed Chris Metzler, the co-director and co-producer of the new documentary Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone. Chris and Lev Anderson made a terrific documentary a few years ago called Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea, and I interviewed Chris about it here for Boing Boing's Get Illuminated podcast. If you live in Los Angeles, don't miss the screening that will include a Q&A with filmmakers and band at the Laemmle Sunset 5 on October 21st. See a list of all screenings here. Everyday Sunshine is a documentary about the band Fishbone, musical pioneers who have been rocking on the margins of pop culture for the past 25 years. From the streets of South-Central Los Angeles and the competitive Hollywood music scene of the 1980's, the band rose to prominence, only to fall apart when on the verge of "making it." Laurence Fishburne narrates Everyday Sunshine, an entertaining cinematic journey into the personal lives of this unique Black rock band, an untold story of fiercely individual artists in their quest to reclaim their musical legacy while debunking the myths of young Black men from urban America. Highlighting the parallel journeys of a band and their city, EVERYDAY SUNSHINE explores the personal and cultural forces that gave rise to California's legendary Black punk sons that continue to defy categories and expectations. At the heart of the film's story is lead singer Angelo Moore and bassist Norwood Fisher who show how they keep the band rolling, out of pride, desperation and love for their art. To overcome money woes, family strife, and the strain of being aging Punk rockers on the road, Norwood and Angelo are challenged to re-invent themselves in the face of dysfunction and ghosts from a painful past. Download Gweek 022 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 10/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
32 |
Gweek 21: I Go Pogo! | In Gweek episode 21 Rob reports back from ROFLCON and Respect the Internet. Also! • Rob presents the Boing Boing redesign -- fewest complaints yet! • Mark reviews the forthcoming Pogo anthology, and discusses the novelization of The Settlers of Catan, a 612-page novel by Rebecca Gable and published by Amazon Crossing. • Mark thumbs through the new Wired App Guide, singling out the iOS and Android game Squibble. • Another song by Darling Pet Munkeee, called “Darling Pet Monkey!” Download Gweek 021 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 10/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
33 |
CleanGweek 020: MAD's Al Jaffee | Ruben Bolling and I had a terrific time interviewing one of our heroes, the amazing Al Jaffee, who has been a member of MAD magazine’s usual gang of idiots for 56 years (his work has appeared in every issue, save one). Best known for his MAD Fold-in, which has appeared on the inside back cover of the magazine since 1964, he’s also the creator of a long running column, "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions," and my favorite, his dozens and dozens of whimsical inventions that border on the edge of plausibility. Ruben went to Al Jaffee’s studio in New York to talk to him about his remarkable career. It's so great to discover that someone you grew up worshipping turns out to be incredibly nice! If you admire the work of Al Jaffee like Ruben and I do, here are two books that you will love: The first is The MAD Fold-In Collection: 1964-2010, a gorgeous four-volume set with 410 Fold-Ins, published by Chronicle books. The second is Al Jaffee's Mad Life: A Biography, by Mary-Lou Weisman and illustrated by Al Jaffee. Here's the description: Jaffee’s inventive work has enlivened the pages of MAD since 1955. To date he has pickled three generations of American kids in the brine of satire, and continues to bring millions of childhoods to untimely ends with the knowledge that parents are hypocrites, teachers are dummies, politicians are liars, and life isn’t fair. Jaffee’s work for MAD has made him a cultural icon, but the compelling and at times bizarre story of his life has yet to be told. A synopsis of Jaffee’s formative years alone reads like a comic strip of traumatic cliff-hangers with cartoons by Jaffee and captions by Freud. Six-year-old Jaffee was separated from his father, uprooted from his home in Savannah, Georgia, and transplanted by his mother to a shtetl in Lithuania, a nineteenth-century world of kerosene lamps, outhouses, physical abuse, and near starvation. He would be rescued by his father, returned to America, taken yet again by his mother back to the shtetl, and once again rescued by his father, even as Hitler was on the march. When he finally settled back in America as a twelve-year-old wearing cobbled shoes and speaking his native English with a Yiddish accent, schoolmates called him "greenhorn." He struggled with challenges at least as great as those he had met in Europe. His luck changed, however, when he was chosen to be a member of the first class to attend New York City’s High School of Music and Art. There his artistic ability saved him. He would go on to forge relationships with Stan Lee, Harvey Kurtzman, and Will Elder, launching a career that would bring him to MAD magazine. There he found himself at the forefront of a movement that would change the face of humor and cartooning in America. We close the episode with a song called "Sea-Monkeys" by the band Darling Pet Munkee. All the songs on their forthcoming album are based on old comic book ads, and they are all instant garage punk classics. Download Gweek 020 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 10/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
34 |
CleanGweek 019: Mail Order Mysteries | In 1979 Kirk Demarais bought a comic book at a neighborhood gas mart. It was a copy of Micronauts#9. Kirk was a kid at the time, and the comic book’s plot confused him. But he was drawn to the advertisements. Here’s how he describes it: I turned to an overcrowded page of fascinating black-and-white drawings; I was captivated It was an ink-smudged window into an unfamiliar realm where gorilla masks peacefully lived among hovercrafts and ventriloquist dummies. A dozen pages later an outfit called the Fun Factory featured another full-page assortment of wonders, and elsewhere in the issue I found a hundred toy soldiers for a buck, an offer for a free million dollar bank note, and an ad for something called Grit. Like many kids tempted to buy these alluring products, Kirk had wise parents who discouraged him from spending his allowance on them. But Kirk never really stopped thinking about them. A few years ago, he began scouring eBay and other online collectors' sites to purchase the novelties that he’d been denied as a child. These purchases are the basis of his hilarious new book Mail Order Mysteries, which reveals the disappointing truth behind fantastic-sounding products such as X-Ray glasses, voice throwers, 7-foot remote control monsters, and secret spy scopes. In the introduction to his book, Demarais writes, "For me the collection represents so many things: a series of hard-earned revelations, my remaining sense of wonder, and the coming-of-age discovery that even kids need to be shrewd as serpents lest we get bit by one." I interviewed Kirk on the phone from his studio in the hills of Arkansas. Download Gweek 019 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 9/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
35 |
Gweek 018: Joel gets an MBA in LEGO | In Gweek 018, Boing Boing’s managing editor Rob Beschizza and Kotaku’s editorial director Joel Johnson join me in a discussion about comic books, video games, books, LEGO, and more. • Rob and Joel talk about the agony and ecstasy of playing the Diablo III beta. • They go onto to praise Torchlight, a fine Diablo clone that doesn’t require you to be online while playing it. • Rob and Joel argue over the pronunciation of “Planescape.” • Rob updates us on Minecraft’s 1.8 Adventure release. • Joel describes Blockade Runner, "Not Just Minecraft in Space.” • Rob and Mark engage in a deeply thoughtful critique of Steven Soderbergh's Contagion. • Joel reviews Feynman a comic book biography by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick. • Mark reviews Optic Nerve #12, by Adrian Tomine • Mark gushes about Richard Dawkins' new book, The Magic of Reality without having read it. • Joel gets an MBA in LEGO at the Lego Master Builder academy. • Rob explains the new Boing Boing redesign! • We close with a fantastic 1981 song called "Pushing Buttons," from a power pop band called TV Neats & The Experts. The song was written by Bedazzled’s Spike Priggen. You can buy TV Neats & The Experts' album on Amazon and on iTunes. Download Gweek 018 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 9/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
36 |
CleanGweek 017: David Hahn | Gweek is Boing Boing's podcast about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps and other neat stuff. This week I interviewed David Hahn, creator of of the comic book, All Nighter, published by Image Comics. David has also drawn for Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse. The episode closes with another song by The Hokum Scorchers, a duo consisting of artist Amy Crehore and guitar maker Lou Reimuller. The song is called “I got your Ice Cold NuGrape," and it’s on the album Yanna’s Donut. Download Gweek 017 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 9/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
37 |
Gweek 016: The Postmortal | Today, I interviewed Drew Magary, author of the new novel called The Postmortal. It's the first-hand account of what happens when a cure for aging is discovered. See my review here. Download Gweek 016 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 9/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
38 |
CleanGweek 015: Craig Yoe | In Gweek episode 15, I interviewed designer and comic book historian Craig Yoe. He's been called "the freaking Indiana Jones of comics" a "twisted archivist of the ridiculous and the sublime," and "Dr. Seuss on acid!" Craig was the vice president, general manager and creative director for Jim Henson and the Muppets, and was senior designer at the legendary toy think tank Marvin Glass & Associates. Today Craig is the co-creative director of YOE! Studio, which he runs with his partner, Clizia Gussoni. As the premier comic book historian in the United States, Craig has edited over 30 books about comic books and illustration, including Krazy Kat & the Art of George Herriman, Amazing 3-D Comics, Archie: A Celebration Of America's Favorite Teenagers, The Golden Collection Of Klassic Krazy Kool Kids Komics, Dan DeCarlo's Jetta, The Art Of Ditko, Boody: The Bizarre Comics Of Boody Rogers, And Secret Identity: The Fetish Art Of Superman's Co-Creator Joe Shuster. I spoke with Craig in his studio in upstate New York. At the end of the podcast, The Hokum Scorchersreturn with another song, "Pick Poor Robin Clean." Download Gweek 015 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 9/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
39 |
Gweek 014: Hokum Scorchers! | Gweek is Boing Boing’s podcast about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps and other neat stuff. Rob and I are happy to have as our returning guest Ruben Bolling, creator of Tom the Dancing Bug, the terrific comic strip we run every week on Boing Boing. Here’s the lineup for episode 14: Steve Jobs resigns Tour of a fake vomit factory Fun book that finds out what those intriguing gadgets advertised in olf comic books actually were: Mail Order Mysteries A creepy new novel that reminded me of Rosemary's Baby: Bedbugs, by Ben H. Winters Our favorite end-of-the-world books: • Level 7 • Kamandi Peanuts monthly comic book with new material Rob talks about his nearly full tube of Arctic Silver now 5 years old Game reviews! • Space Pirates and Zombies • Bastion • Smack That Gugl Artist Amy Crehore The Teenar A song by The Hokum Scorchers Download Gweek 014 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 8/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
40 |
ExplicitGweek 013: Viktor Kalvachev, creator of Blue Estate | Welcome to Gweek episode 13, for August 22, 2011. Gweek is where the editors of Boing Boing and our guests talk about comic books, science fiction & fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. A few weeks ago on this podcast, I talked about an amazing comic book called Blue Estate. It’s a hardboiled crime series that takes place in modern day Los Angeles. It’s got a sleazy action hero actor with a passing resemblance to Steven Seagal, the Russian Mafia, the Italian Mafia, a geeky fanboy private eye in his 40s, a B-movie actress, drugs, alcohol, strippers, hookers, and seedy establishments. It’s dirty and gritty and a lot of fun, in an LA Confidential way. Comicbuzz.com called Blue Estate is “one of the best comics on the racks today, not to mention one of the best crime comics ever.” Our guest on this episode is Viktor Kalvachev, the creator of Blue Estate. In a recent interview Kalvachev described Blue Estate as a combination of “Pulp Fiction, Snatch, and Get Shorty with a splash of It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World.” Kalvachev paints the covers and they are beautiful. The interiors are drawn by as many as five different artists including Kalvachev. I spoke to Viktor from his home in Walnut Creek California. Show notes: Blue Estate trade paperback anthology Blue Estate comic book website Viktor Kalvachev's website Black Kiss, by Howard Chaykin The art of Robert McGinnis Download Gweek 013 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 8/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
41 |
Gweek 012: Tom the Dancing Bug creator Ruben Bolling | Our guest this week is Ruben Bolling, creator of Tom the Dancing Bug, the terrific comic strip we run every week on Boing Boing. We interview Ruben about his influences, inspirations, and creative process, and then later in the show, he joins Rob and I in a discussion about games, movies, and comics. In this episode, we discuss: GAMES From Dust Wurm Online The Dark Meadow Diablo 3 Dungeon Hunter II MOVIES Project Nim Rise of the Planet of the Apes A discussion of ape rights in the New York Times How to Train Your Dragon "Dreamworks Face" COMICS Carl Barks’ Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge Interview with Fantagraphics' Gary Groth about The Complete Carl Barks Anthology The Adventures of Superboy Download Gweek 012 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 8/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
42 |
CleanGweek 011: "Why we get fat" | Mark reviews the psychological thriller Tropic of Night by Michael Gruber, Why We Get Fat, by Gary Taubes, a comic book called All Nighter, and the Canon S95 digital camera. | 7/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
43 |
CleanGweek 010: "Losing is Fun!" | Rob and Mark interview Jonah Weiner, the author of "Where Do Dwarf-Eating Carp Come From?" an article in the New York Times Magazine about the game Dwarf Fortress. Also in this episode: 1. Dwarf Fortress, Rob’s experience with the game. 2. The amazing crime comic book mini series Blue Estate. 3. Boing Boing switches from Movable Type to WordPress and hopefully gets a lot faster. 4. LEGO Mindstorms. 5. Dexter Industries'Sensors for LEGO Mindstorms 6. Six Days, by Philip Webb. 7. Interview with Jonah Weiner, author of Dwarf Fortress article in the NY Times Magazine. 8. 1000 True Fans, by Kevin Kelly. 9. Dungeons of Dredmor. 10. Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup. | 7/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
44 |
Gweek 009: Moebius Swipes a Comic | Rob and Mark interview Nate Simpson, creator of the comic book Nonplayer. We also discuss digital cameras, video editing software, Spotify music service, and Mark's visit to the Trivia Championships of North America. | 7/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
45 |
Gweek 008: 250 Indie Games You Must Play | This was a fun (almost) all-gaming episode of Gweek. Rob, Joel (of Kotaku), and I chatted with Mike Rose, who is a freelance games journalist, an editor at Indie Games, and the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play. Here's what we talked about: A retro platformer called, VVVVVV(pronounced "vee"). The soundtrack to VVVVVV, called PPPPPP. Terraria Online, a 2D multiplayer Minecraft. Project Zomboid, a zombie survival RPG. Nintendo's head-scratching Wii U. Sony's new portable game player, the PS Vita Mobile Minecrafton Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play A trippy game for Xbox and Playstation that Joel declares to be "very Boing Boing," Child of Eden Rob's new exclusive flash game for Boing Boing: 9x9RPG Another game from Boing Boing Gadgets, Low-Altitude Attack Zeppelin The NBC TV series, Community | 6/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
46 |
Gweek 007: "We Keep All the Shiny Books" | We interview Adam Parfrey and Jodi Wille, proprietors of the non-fiction book publishers, Feral House and Process Media. | 6/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
47 |
Gweek 006: Robopocalypse | In this episode of Gweek, we interview author Rudy Rucker. Also: a Belgian comic artist named Kim and a short review of the new novel Robopocalypse. Visit boingboing.net for additional show notes. | 6/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
48 |
Gweek 005: Tony Moore | In Gweek 005 Rob and I are joined by Tony Moore, the Eisner-award nominated co-creator of The Walking Dead, as well as the co-creator of Vertigo's The Exterminators and Dark Horse's Fear Agent. Walking Dead TV Series Standing Desks The Exterminators (Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3, Vol 4, Vol 5) Leica V-Lux 30 Fear Agent (Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3, Vol 4, Vol 5) Sony Vaio S Laptop Wacom tablets Locke & Key Dan Clowes' Wilson The Modern Scholar: From Here to Infinity: An Exploration of Science Fiction Literature (on Amazon, study guide) Nonplayer (Electronic version at Comixology) Stranger in a Strange Land Starship Troopers Jetpens.com Cursed Pirate Girl Terraria Download Gweek 005 as an MP3 | Subscribe to Gweek via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS | Download single episodes of Gweek as MP3s | 5/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
49 |
CleanGweek 004: Wicked Plants | An interview with Amy Stewart, the author of a terrific book about dangerous vegetation called Wicked Plants, and the her new book Wicked Bugs. I asked Amy to tell me about the most dangerous bug, the most disgusting bug, the most fascinating bug, and so on. Then we talk about people who grow gardens filled with "wicked plants," and people who grow opium poppies and coca plants. Amy is a very knowledgeable and funny writer, and I had a lot of fun chatting with her. | 5/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
50 |
Gweek 003: 250 Indie Games You Must Play | In the third episode of Gweek, Rob Beschizza, Mark Frauenfelder, and Joel Johnson talk about the following stuff: NASA's Fermi Telescope Finds Giant Structure in our Galaxy Facebook hired public relations firm Burson-Marstellar to conduct anti-Google PR smear campaign Lodsys patent troll shakes down mobile devices rpgKIDS: a role playing game for kids and parents Castle Ravenloft 
Thank You for Removing Story from the Role-Playing Game, Dungeon Raid Sword and Sworcery 250 Indie Games You Must Play, by Mike Rose Dirty Jobs creator on the need for skilled tradespeople in America Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work Educational Sloyd At a Distance: The Best Weird Video Game I Played Yesterday — and Hope You Play Next AT&T HP Veer 4G Stitcher podcast player The Sixth Gun | 5/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 50 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Mark Frauenfelder is pretty fantastic.
Mark Frauenfelder is pretty fantastic. He's not that easy to listen to; he's definitely not the best podcast host. His stuttering, awkward, slightly uncomfortable delivery might well turn a lot of people away, if you don't know that he's not a 20-something year old nerd that just escaped his Mom's basement. It almost turned me away, until I did more research on the man and have come to find that he's just an eccentric, and a pretty fantastic one at that.
He's like a nerdier Kurt Andersen, or a much less confident Ira Glass, but like those two he's a Renaissance Man, and it's worth listening to just to hear all the things that he's into, especially if you like games and books and comics and building stuff.
I'm getting a little weary of the "sit around a mic and talk about stuff"-style podcast, and I wish that there was a little more Interview in Gweek than there currently is. I also wish they'd hurry up and iron out all their technical issues (with sound, mostly). But it's just begun, and I can't wait to hear what these boing boings are up to next.
Gweek I love you!
This is one of my favorite podcasts. Mark is a great host and the guests he has are always interesting, even if going in you think they aren't going to be… they are. haven't missed an episode. Also one of the few podcasts I don't delete after listening as I might want to listen again!
I love gweek
Thanks for this great escape down a rabbit hole of geek every week
Listeners also subscribed to
- Giant Fire Breathing Robot Podcast
- Giant Fire Breathing Robot
- View In iTunes
- The RPS Electronic Wireless Show
- Rock, Paper, Shotgun
- View In iTunes
- Good Job, Brain!
- GoodJobBrain.com
- View In iTunes
