A late night edition of the Firewall & Iceberg podcast this week, and you can find the relevant links, files and running times over at NJ.com. Normal schedule should be restored next week.
A late night edition of the Firewall & Iceberg podcast this week, and you can find the relevant links, files and running times over at NJ.com. Normal schedule should be restored next week.
Thanks for taking the time during your time off. The podcasts help me get through work on Wednesdays.
ReplyDelete7 minutes of Dr. Who? That is brilliant! Adding that to the LOST talk and the general Firewall gabbery that entertains is quite nice. Especially with you on vacation.
ReplyDeleteAlan, I dunno what it was that you guys were doing differently, but you sounded a lot less tinny than usual. Thanks as always for carving out a block of time for us little people in the midst of your family time.
ReplyDeleteWow, you guys got the podcast recorded and on iTunes after Idol on the east coast and before Idol on the west coast. Nicely done and much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteSo I won't get to listen for another couple of hours, but is The Census actually a new show or a current events discussion?
ReplyDeleteThis was a very pleasant surprise to have for my ride to work. But seriously, Alan - take a vacation. We'll wait.
ReplyDeleteI actually like the shorter podcasts better! These are snappy and fun. Hope your time off is going well.
ReplyDeletegreat podcast. why do you do it with that other guy though. you provide the insight and intelligent comments. "i thought lost was 'too cute' this week?" come on...
ReplyDeleteseriously. sorry to say i can't sit through a whole podcast of that guy's nasal whining. going to have to drop it. continued thanks for the great reviews and write ups though.
ReplyDeleteI like Dan, that is all.
ReplyDeleteWhen is Dr. Who going to get a gritty reboot or is this season it I wonder?
00:00-01:22 -- Dicking Around
ReplyDeleteMan, is there going to be a post for Doctor Who, too? Because these things are just not working at all for me. (And I don't mean technologically.)
I too enjoy Dan. And Alan. The podcast makes my Thursday morning a little more bearable each week.
ReplyDeleteSuper-fascinating, but WHY no mention of South Park's 200th episode anywhere on this fine blog, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteGreat listen!
ReplyDeleteMatt Smith & Karen Gillan have settled into 'Doctor Who' very nicely indeed. Plus with Steven Moffat as show-runner there is no way it can possibly go wrong.
Genealogists say to fill out your census no matter the politics... that is all.
ReplyDeleteOh, wait... I also like Dan.
The podcast was fantastic. I disagree with the vocal assessment made by another commenter. I found the so-called nasally voice endearing.
ReplyDeleteI am really glad a stumbled on this blog!
Thanks for taking time from your vacation to make the podcast. I appreciate the dedication.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think the new Doctor is great and I really liked David Tennant. I still wish that they would air the episodes on the same day because it's not like Saturday is jammed packed with other shows. And while it's better than the delay of months that happened with the Tennant episodes, especially some of the specials, Doctor Who is still one of the most torrented shows out there and a delay of anything more than a day will not reduce that from happening. Once again, this is an example of the television networks not understanding the changes in how an audience watches television. Apparently they didn't read the study that stated 25% of people watch television online.
Did you guys actually use the word "karaoke" in a derogatory way in describing "Glee" and then transition (without irony) into a discussion of freaking "American Idol"?!?
ReplyDeleteNicole:
ReplyDeleteTo be quite honest, if you're so hooked on instant gratification that you're going to torrent 'Doctor Who' I don't think anything short of a simulcast would satisfy. Then again, perhaps I'm biased and find it hard to feel you Yanks are particularly hard done by -- down here in New Zealand, we're going to have to wait until May 2, and I'm going to be doing my best to stay spoiler-free (reasonably) until then!
When is Dr. Who going to get a gritty reboot or is this season it I wonder?
ReplyDeleteMy guess is never. Americans may think of Doctor Who primarily as sci-fi, but in the UK it's a family program. It's never going to be all that "gritty" because it has to remain appropriate for an 8-year-old. I've seen the first two episodes of the latest series. They're good.
Lorrie:
ReplyDeleteI'm also being only slightly snarky when I say that Doctor Who is one show where "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" most certainly applies. If there's a show on British television less in need of a re-boot (gritty or smooth as silk) I can't think of it.
Paul C said: "Matt Smith & Karen Gillan have settled into 'Doctor Who' very nicely indeed. Plus with Steven Moffat as show-runner there is no way it can possibly go wrong".
ReplyDeleteI used to think so too, given that Moffat had written easily the best Who eps in the RTD era. Alas, going by the first two eps of this season, it's as if RTD hadn't left at all! The writing was terrible with more plot holes than Swiss cheese. The new actors are fine, but the writing had better pick up because, so far, it's been truly disappointing.
Craig:
ReplyDeleteI'm not a Yank but a Canuck and the first few seasons of the new Who were co-produced by CBC (i.e. my tax dollars). They started off with a week delay, which was okay, but then they thoroughly messed around with the Christmas specials, never airing them near Christmas, and then not airing Tennant's first season in the spring because of hockey playoffs (CBC even shortens our 10pm news so that the hockey games can be aired in full).
When it switched over to the Space Channel for the Martha Jones season, they matched up the airings with the US Sci-Fi and now BBC America airings, but still months apart for the UK airings. The final two Tennant episodes were aired the day after the UK airing and they got great ratings.
There is only a 5 hour time difference between the East Coast and the UK and so the process of waiting for the torrent to be posted, and then trying to download it before the throttling starts is a hassle, so if it was a same day simulcast, I would certainly be satisfied. And Saturday is a dead night for programming in Canada (except for hockey) and the US, so why not air them closer together.
I will say that Space doesn't seem to edit the episodes as drastically as BBC America, if at all.
An ideal situation would be for Who to air on the same day for all markets that have an audience for it. Or for everyone to be able to access it online if they want. The advent of the internet is changing how we watch television both for national shows and international shows. The smart networks will be working to incorporate those who watch television programs online and those who do it outside their borders. For instance, Hulu would make a mint if they allowed international viewers to access its site for a small fee. BBC would probably make a small profit as well (and aren't there always threats from the UK gov't to slash their funding? Or is it only the Tory candidate... I am not sure on that one). Of course die-hards will never be satisfied, but I do think they are missing out on an opportunity to increase ratings for a night that traditionally is a dead zone in North America.
I do sympathize with having to wait until May for the episodes to officially air. Being north of the US border means that many shows are either not available to us or available later, so it is a pain to hear about supposedly good programs that you can't actually watch, especially when Alan raves about them.
Nicole:
ReplyDeleteMy apologies for the dreadful insult -- I've got Canadian who get mildly irritable at being confused for Americans who say "aboot". :)
But all teasing aside, I know exactly what you mean and think you're exactly right. Down here, we're getting Lost a week after it goes to air in US, and even then it's hard enough staying more or less spoiler-free. Nor do I think the channel that had the rights to BSG helped themselves by sitting on seasons two and three until months after the DVDs were out -- I certainly wasn;t watching!
"I used to think so too, given that Moffat had written easily the best Who eps in the RTD era. Alas, going by the first two eps of this season, it's as if RTD hadn't left at all! The writing was terrible with more plot holes than Swiss cheese. The new actors are fine, but the writing had better pick up because, so far, it's been truly disappointing."
ReplyDeleteCouldn't disagree more, i've loved the first two eps, and I can't wait to see the third.
Lost is actually taking two weeks to get to New Zealand, Craig. TVNZ made a big deal about only being a week behind, and it was for the first hour, but they split the first double episode in two, so from the second week it's been 14 days behind.
ReplyDeleteWhich is certainly a lot better than it used to be, but I've been torrenting the final season because I've then been able to participate in the discussion on the internet for the first time, and it's been massively enjoyable to do so. That's just not possible after two weeks.
I stand corrected, but being the weak-willed creature I am it's a hell of a lot easier to stay (relatively) spoiler-light with Lost. All that being said, until folks start being able to dictate scheduling when they sell overseas broadcast rights I can't see how they can stop anyone really determined from illegal downloading.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the pap continues with ep3, oh dear. One more and I think I'll drop it (after 30 odd years)!
ReplyDeleteIts interesting when you look at the tags in the mp3, under artist it says "Daniel Fienberg" and under album its "Daniel Fienberg's Album" - I guess Sepinwall doesn't count at all *g*
ReplyDelete