Level Orange

I was going through some old files on my computer the other day and happened upon these charming little nuggets from the past. In case you missed these back when we recorded them in 2008, here are the full episodes of the  PiQ Podcast (and thanks to Facebook, the summaries of what we discussed), as hosted by Messrs Howard, Starr, Gifford and yours truly. Sure, all we talk about is stuff that happened two years ago but hey, it reminds me of good times.

Download (right-click, Save As…) and enjoy.

Episode 0

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Just to prove we are not sitting around all day eating Fritos and wiping the grease on our tank tops, here is the highly experimental Episode 0 of The PiQ Podcast (thePiQ-cast? Perhaps I’m getting too far ahead of myself). Have a listen — just press that little “Play” button up above this text — and you’ll get to hear myself, Robert, Paul, and Scott discuss the sorts of things we’ve been up to while working on this magazine.

We got print copies of Issue 1 in the other day, and I hear that some subscribers have received it as well. Huzzah! Tremendous! We hope you will get it soon if you haven’t, or later this month when it hits newsstands. We honestly care what you think about this issue, so keep letting us know.

PiQ Episode 1 – The Sausage Fest

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Now that we’ve slogged through our deadline for Issue 2, we’re able to share our much-delayed discussion about Issue 1 with all you fine folks.

If you have Issue 1, feel free to follow along as we talk about some initial reactions to the magazine, and go into a bit of discussion on Appleseed Ex Machina, Avatar, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Honey & Clover, recent legislation in Japan, Tweeny Witches, Battlestar Galactica, Independence Day (!), our Monitor think-piece “Is Anime Dead?” and more.

PiQ Episode 2 – No Games for Old Men

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Did we ever say this podcast would be a regular thing? Whoops. After a hectic month or so, we finally sat down and got to discuss some of what we’ve been up to, including Kevin’s trip to Japan, the infallible legacy of Upton Sinclair and our collective realization that some games are just entirely too damn hard for old fogeys like us (and we’re not even that old).

More importantly, there’s also our discussion of Issue 2 and all the goodness therein, like how much we dig Sam & Max, Lucky Star, Iron Man, Tim and Eric, action movies, old game shows and pig creatures? Also, we have another sweet prize for those of you interested, so be sure to listen for that too.

PiQ Episode 3 – Delicious

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Here we are again to discuss what we’ve been up to (despite being such losers). Kevin tells all about his conniving ferret, Scott and I celebrate the epic nature of GTA IV and Paul tells why you should check out The World Ends With You.

We also discuss a fair bit about Issue 3, which you should be able to find at your local newsstands. Find out what we really thought about our cover story, Speed Racer, and what other movies we’re looking forward to from this summer’s crop of big releases. There’s also some talk about roller derby and its appeal, Working Designs and our MONITOR piece on translation “Found in Translation”.

For years, anyone who wanted solid recommendations on movies usually took the question up with a local video store clerk. I should know. I used to be one.  When you’re around so many movies and hear so many customers’ feedback, it’s easy to know what people really look for in their purchases. These days, as people buy and watch movies online, it becomes a one-way street, making it sometimes difficult to get a real human-based recommendation on what else is out there.

Created by Reel.com founder Stuart Skorman, Clerk Dogs is looking to fit that bill and do it with an unprecedented amount of human input, including hand-picked recommendations by thousands of video store clerks themselves. Even the site’s Mash It tool relies on real connections as suggested by people, not some collaborative, taxonomy-based algorithm. Check out this video of how the service works or just give it a spin and see what you think.

LINK

The makers of the i.TV app for the iPhone and iPod touch announced today that now users will be able to manage their Netflix queue and rent movies for home delivery and instant playback on PCs, all directly from within the i.TV interface. On a related note, i.TV plans other big announcements with third parties in the future, so you can expect big things to come. If you haven’t already, you can download i.TV for free from the iTunes App Store.

This sounds like a pretty sweet setup, if you ask me. I downloaded the i.TV app a while back but rarely got any use out of it, especially when just about every TV service has a built-in guide. The addition of Netflix account management really makes this shine, though. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, but I guess I really gotta get back into Netflix again.

An interesting examination of the classic-but-all-too-short scene between Pacino and De Niro in Heat. To this day, that film is still one of my all-time faves, and I’ll probably do a rare double-dip when it comes out on Blu-ray someday.

I’d never seen The Polar Express before this past Christmas, but once I did, I was pleasantly surprised with it. Now we’ll be able to enjoy it all over again when it comes to DVD/Blu-ray on October 28…in 3D!

I managed to catch the midnight showing of Superman Returns last night. Even with the months of hype and build-up, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had my doubts about the new actor playing Supes, and wasn’t clear whether this would actually be a sequel or not. I loved the original films, Superman: The Movie and Superman II, as a kid and hoped that this new movie would capture some of that spirit.

Overall, I think this movie did just that. A lot of it is the nostalgia factor, I guess. The audience I was with cheered and applauded as soon as the Superman theme started playing over the opening credits (done in a very similar style to the old movies). It just felt exciting to see Superman on the big screen again.

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Hands-down the best animated family movie so far this year.

As a belated birthday present to our son Robbie, my wife and I took him to see Curious George this past weekend. I meant to take him the weekend after his third birthday, but somehow it slipped by me and we didn’t get around to it. So when we finally decided to go, the plan was to treat him to a movie–which he had yet managed to sit through–and to just give him a day just for him.

As we got out of the van and walked through the parking lot, Robbie surprisingly held both our hands and even did that swing/jump thing every time we took a step. He normally wants to walk on his own, but I wonder how special it made him feel to have mom and dad all to himself. Even as we walked through the mall to kill a little time before our show, he never strayed too far and at times even wanted me to carry him (or as he says “hug”) as we walked. He even wanted to ride on my shoulders a couple of times. I can’t help but remember the look of happiness on his face as he just took in everything around him. You’d think we never take him anywhere, but I think it was something more than that.

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Since the release of iTunes 4.9, I’ve really gotten into podcasting, probably more than I ever expected to. It’s hard to believe, but I’ve hardly used my iPod for music in the last few weeks. After the iTunes update, I subsequently checked out Podcast Alley, Podcast Pickle and Odeo. Of these, Odeo has probably had the most buzz surrounding it, and while it’s a combination of a website and application, I still don’t think it quite lives up to the full experience of iTunes.

That’s not to say iTunes hasn’t had it’s own share of trouble, with feeds being delayed and missing and just generally feeling a little half-assed. But as I think Adam Curry mentioned recently, Apple is a major player trying to get in near the ground floor, which most giant companies don’t risk doing. Remember when Microsoft underestimated the web browser market and they had to play catch-up for three versions of Internet Explorer? With Apple being the catalyst themselves for “pod”casting, how could they sit back and not jump on the wagon? I can forgive them for the setbacks.

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In what is probably a somewhat true, but still insensitive review of War of the Worlds, Peter Preston makes light of how much America is still affected by 9/11 and how references in the film won’t resonate overseas. Apparently, since this didn’t happen in England, it’s nothing to be concerned about. In fact, it would seem that the majority of UK press is trashing the film for it’s decidedly American perspective of an alien attack. Tosh…as they say.

From Guardian Unlimited | Popcorn from the 9/11 rubble

Perhaps none of this resonated in my downtown multiplex because 9/11, like George W, was over there, not over here. But perhaps there’s also a dividing line as deep as the Atlantic, a different mix of culture, perception and automatic assumption that makes common action increasingly impossible. Phoney disaster movies starring Bruce Willis are one thing, arty disaster movies full of glib references quite another.

Oh, not to be insensitive or anything, but…well, look what went and happened.

CNN.com – London rocked by explosions

BBC NEWS | UK | London rocked by terror attacks

Four London Blasts Kill 40, Injure 300 – Yahoo! News

“All of our countries have suffered from the impact of terrorism,” he said. “Those responsible have no respect for human life. We are united in our resolve to confront and defeat this terrorism that is not an attack on one nation, but all nations and on civilized people everywhere.”

Don’t get me wrong, it’s very well done. I have to give Zach Braff his props for writing, directing and starring in a brilliant film debut. I found the characters so natural, so grounded in reality, even when their surroundings ventured into surreal (but not wholly unbelievable) territory. To me, that’s the mark of a great filmmaker–the ability to make characters that the audience can totally relate to and identify with, put them in situations where they are tested and never lose the audience or plot. On Scrubs, even though there’s more comedy involved, I’ve always found Braff’s approach very down to earth and likeable. Natalie Portman, charming as ever, has had years to hone her own talent, and despite her innate beauty and her involvment the Prequels, she’s maintained a level of credibility as an top-quality actress. It was refreshing to see them in a new element, playing far enough off-type that it wasn’t always clear where things were going.

Watching it on DVD, I also checked out the behind-the-scenes footage and interviews and I was equally impressed. One thing that I really liked about the film was it’s cinematography, and it was good to discover that Braff, an amateur photographer, was the driving force behind that. With this project, he certainly appeared to know what he wanted and how to bring his own sensibilities to the production. I think Braff is already on his way up, even aside from his recurring television role. I just hope he doesn’t squander it by staying there too long. Sooner or later, he’s going to have to make the Clooney transition.

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