Tag: Discussion

DNA Podcast 059 – Portrayals of Strength in the Media

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 059 - Portrayals of Strength in the Media
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In this episode, Don and Rob look at cultural views of strength in the media. The pair explore why lead characters being strong is so important to North American audiences, how views of strength have changed over time, and what a strong female fighter really means. All this, and how Free to Be You and Me destroyed a generation, is waiting for you in this episode of the Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:

Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed

Dynaman
1950’s Education Films and PSAs
Bob Dobbs
Self Actulization
Free To Be You and Me
1970’s Exploitation Films
John Carpenter
Slasher Films
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Mystery Science Theatre Industrial Arts Film
Dirty Harry
Charles Bronson
Dragnet
Adam 12
Kojak
Baretta
Death Wish
Commando
Cobra (Stallone)
The Hills Have Eyes
Silver Bullet
Nightbreed
Spider Baby
Married with Children
Fight Club
1980’s Action Films
The Rock (movie)
Con Air (movie)
Hippy Movement
90s Milk Ads
Conan the Barbarian
Broadchurch
Twin Peaks
Star Trek: Discovery
Surf Nazis Must Die

DNA Podcast 049 – Star Trekking with Jack Ward

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 049 - Star Trekking with Jack Ward
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In this episode, Don and Rob are joined by Jack Ward to go where no man has boldly gone before! The past and future collide as the three discuss the history of Trek and whether or not it’s still relevant in today’s world. All this, and Jack and Rob’s big throwdown on Star Trek Enterprise, is waiting for you in this episode of the Department of Nerdly Affairs.

    Closing Music:

Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt 

Things Discussed:

Star Trek
Star Trek the Next Generation
Star Trek Deep Space Nine
Star Trek Voyager
Star Trek Enterprise
Star Trek Discovery
Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry Crashlands Plane
Lucille Ball Star Trek Pilot
Inside Star Trek The Real Story Herb Solo
Star Trek was first TV show that started in Colour
Nichelle Nicols meets Martin Luther King
Solarpunk
Land of the Giants
Gene L. Coon
Gold Key Star Trek Comics
Leonard Nimoy Billboard Story (I can’t find the story, but I can find the ad)
Star Trek Phase II
Free Enterprise
Earth Final Conflict
In Defense of the Male Miniskirt Post on Rob’s Blog
Starlog Magazine
Babylon 5
The Origin of the BORG
Manny Coto
China Bans LGBT Content

DNA Podcast 48 – History of Manga (Part 2)

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 48 - History of Manga (Part 2)
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Dragonball Z

In this episode, Rob and Don finish their discussion of the History of Japanese Comics. Starting in the 1980’s, they discuss the rise and fall of Shonen Jump, how Dragonball changed everything, and how modern manga have been influenced by animation. All this, and Bakuman, in this episode of the Department of Nerdly Affairs.

    Closing Music:

Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt 

Things Discussed:

Gung Ho (movie)
Shonen Jump
Go Nagai
Shameless School PTA
Pachinko
Rapeman
Young Sunday
Comiket
Moto Haggio
The Group of 24
Japanese Garage Kits
The Japanese Manga Studio System
Journey to the West (The Monkey King)
Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken)
Dr. Slump
Dragonball
Dragonball Z
Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure
Cyber Blue
Sakigake!! Otokojuku
City Hunter
Josei Manga
Mai the Psychic Girl
Slam Dunk
Sailor Moon
Magical Girl Genre
Shonen Jump Sales Chart
One Piece
Naruto
Yu-yu Hakusho
Bakuman
Nakayoshi
Death Note
Hikaru no Go
Wallman
Pokémon or if you prefer….
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Bleach
My Hero Academia
Robot x Lazerbeam
One Punch Man
Franken Fran
Boichi (this sums it up pretty well….)
Dr. Stone

DNA Podcast 044 – Musical Brains

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 044 - Musical Brains
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Escucha_musica

 

In this episode, Don and Rob are joined by their friend Richard Moule to discuss music and how it affects us. The trio explore the physical processes behind our reactions and interactions with music and discuss how music and humans evolved together over time. The three also delve into music as soundtrack, and discuss the ways in which moviemakers use music to control and shape the emotions of the audience. All this, and  why John Williams owes Gustav Holst royalties is waiting for you in this episode of the Department of Nerdly Affairs.

    Closing Music:

Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt 

Things Discussed:

Dr. Daniel Levitan
Sylvanian Nose Flute (earliest musical instrument)
Yoruba Tribe Talking Drums
Edgar Varez (Experimental Composer)
Insane Clown Posse Fucking Magnets How Do they Work?
Troubadours
Skalds
A History of Talkies and Silent Film
Holst’s The Planets
John Carpenter (composer)
Dio
Post-Rock
Invisble Soundtrack Music
Tortoise
Thrill Jockey
Radiohead
Opening to JAWS
Tubular Bells (it’s a classic, but this is my fave take on it!)
Hans Zimmer
Midnight Express
The Revenant
You Could Be Mine
Blood Red Skies
Lalo Schifrin (Dirty Hairy Soundtrack)
John Barry
Barry Gray (actual composer of the Thunderbirds)
Disco
Saturday Night Fever
The Meteors
Music in Neo-Natal Wards
The Simpsons- Yvan Eht Nioj

DNA Podcast 041 – Remakes, Sequels and Reboots. Oh My!

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 041 - Remakes, Sequels and Reboots. Oh My!
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In this episode, Don and Rob sit down to discuss the issues involved with remakes, prequels, sequels and reboots, and why at best they’re a tough act to pull off well, and at worst they’re totally awful. Along the way, they delve into the nature of story itself and how stories reflect the writers and society. All that, and why the Ice Cream Man was an important figure in Star Wars lore (at least according to Don), is waiting for you in this episode of the Department of Nerdly Affairs.

    Closing Music:

Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt 

Things Discussed:

Romance Novel Formula
The Anatomy of Story
Humans are wired to learn through story.
Friday the 13th
SCREAM
Why The Force Awakens Bombed in China
Murder Mystery Formula
Audiences Like Films Better when they know what happens
The Green Hornet: movie and character
The Phantom Edit
Star Wars Ice Cream Man (Willrow Hood)

DNA Podcast 037 – Death and the Nerdly Arts

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 037 - Death and the Nerdly Arts
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BillandTedBogus

Rob, Don and Jack Ward explore the place of death in the nerdly arts. From superheroes who never die, to the real life celebrities who do (for now), and how our own fears of death shape our entertainment of choice, the trio head down a funerary rabbit hole. It’s an episode of grave humour, and sober considerations about the future of the kind you’ll only find on the Department of Nerdly Affairs.

    Closing Music:

Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt 

Things Discussed:

The Princess Diarist
Nicholas Hammond
Rocket Robin Hood
King Arthur
Edward Snowden
Bill and Ted play Chess with Death
Millenial Problems
Japanese Don’t Have Sex
Japanese VR Sex Toys
The Venus Project
Basic Minimum Income
Randi Cartier

DNA Podcast 035 – The Hero’s Journey Strikes Back!

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 035 - The Hero's Journey Strikes Back!
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In this episode, Rob and Don are joined by Jack Ward for a spirited debate about Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. Does Campbell’s opus really hold the key to writing satisfying stories? Jack thinks so, but Rob and Don aren’t so sure, and this leads to a long discussion involving comparative mythology, newspaper comic strips, 1970’s vampire hunting reporters, and more sitcom references than an 80’s flashback! All this, and Don’s unhealthy fixation with the obscure scifi comedy Quark are waiting for you in this, the 35th episode of the Department of Nerdly Affairs.

    Closing Music:

Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt 

Things Discussed

The Hero with a Thousand Faces (book)
Glove and Boots Heros Journey (in 5 minutes, with puppets)
The Power of Myth Bill Moyers/Joseph Campbell
Christopher Vogler Hero’s Journey Memo
Kishotenketsu For Beginners (Alternate Japanese Story Structure)
Buck Rogers
Mary Worth
Snuffie Smith
Blondie
Cousin Oliver/Brady Bunch
The Story Toolkit Podcast
Eating Raoul (trailer)
Captain Blood (Errol Flynn, trailer)
Quark (first episode)
Law and Order
Kolchak the Night Stalker
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
Who’s the Boss?

DNA Podcast 033 – Writing Formulas

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 033 - Writing Formulas
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dent2

Lester Dent

In this episode, Rob and Don sit down to discuss story structure. They explore the origins of the 3-act structure, discuss Chris Fox’s Write to Market strategy, and break down the Lester Dent Master Pulp Writing Formula and Michael Moorcock’s How to Write a Book in Three Days method. All this, and why Buffy the Vampire Slayer is really a ninja, are waiting for you in this episode of the Department of Nerdly Affairs!

    Closing Music:

Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt 

Things Discussed:

3 Act Structure Made Easy (video)
Aristotle’s Poetics
Save the Cat!
Story/Plotting Formulas
Chris Fox’s Write to Market
Anne Rice
Buffy Vampire Slayer
Vampire the Masquerade
Urban Fantasy
The Hero’s Journey
The Procedural
Writing Creative Procedural Fiction
Rob’s Thoughts on Different Story Structures (blog post)
Bakuman Manga
Dan Harmon’s Story Wheel
Dick Tracy
Predator Rocky Sequel?
Lester Dent Master Pulp Writing Formula
Michael Moorcock’s How to Write a Book in 3 Days Method

 

DNA Podcast 030 – Interview with Dr. R.N. Shukul

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 030 - Interview with Dr. R.N. Shukul
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rnshukul

Rob and Don sit down with Journalist and TV Producer Dr. Rashid Narain (R.N.) Shukul to discuss Television and Media in India. Along the way, they touch on RN’s career as a cameraman and war correspondent, his time as TV game show producer in India, his time producing documentaries for Fremantle Media, and some of the political figures he’s encountered. Are Indians into Scifi? What is their preferred style of heroic fiction? And what’s up with all the singing and dancing? All of these questions and more will be answered in this episode of the Department of Nerdly Affairs.

    Closing Music:

Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt 

Things Discussed:

Fremantle Media
Press Trust of India
Indira Gandhi
$64,000 Dollar Question Scandal
Margaret Atwood
Media Convergence
Marshal McLuhan

 

DNA Podcast 029 – Our One Year Anniversary

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The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 029 - Our One Year Anniversary
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Rob and Don have been at this for a year, and take a show to look back on 28 episodes of the Department of Nerdly Affairs and how far they’ve come. They discuss the origins of the show, some behind the scenes thoughts about the different episodes and their guests, and finish with a special announcement. (No, the show isn’t ending.) So, come on in and join us to celebrate one year of the Department of Nerdly Affairs!

    Closing Music:

Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt 

Things Discussed:

Check individual  episodes for show notes.