With the economic crisis hitting Japan at an even more torrid pace than the rest of the world, many former high flyers are now moving into “net rooms,” which are essentially closets with an internet connection so you can look for a job. And when you think about it, what more do you need? What you might want is another story, but if things get worse here, we might see more net rooms in North America.
And so the post-Gallifrey exhaustion set in, and our stalwart heroes were left with nothing more than depression and a paltry smattering of news. And yet they soldiered on, digressing and discussing as before. Only..many weeks to go before Gallifrey 2010.
Direct download: rfs126.mp3
According to the cover of the Atlantic, the economic crapstorm we’re currently weathering is going to not only throw piles of people out of work and cause general misery, it’s also going to remake America’s geography. Richard Florida, who you might remember from his book “The Rise of the Creative Class,” asserts that regions like the Sun Belt, which experienced massive growth during the housing bubble, will be in dire shape in years to come, as will old industrial cities like Detroit. New York might take less of a beating, due to the big influx of creative types and industries other than finance, though frankly I think Florida might be overstating his case in that instance. Strangely, though the cover says “Toronto wins,” due to multiculturalism and a diversified economy (oh yeah, and Canadian banks are a hell of a lot better off than American banks), there’s barely any mention of the city in the article itself.
So we spent the weekend at Gallifrey 2009, the biggest Doctor Who convention in the United States and one hell of a fun time. But we weren’t lying around mumbling lines from “The Power of Kroll”; we cranked out quite a bit of podcasting goodness for all to enjoy. Rather than spread it out, I’m going to post ll of our stuff right here for your enjoyment.
Direct download: RFScollinsoninterview.mp3
For the first time in recorded history, in an event sure to be recorded in the annals of time across all universes parallel and otherwise, the RFS crew met in person at Gallifrey 2009 in Los Angeles, and thus was a podcast birthed from the loins of the Airport Marriott. And as a special bonus, John Williams and Neil Perryman of Tachyon TV joined in on the fun and regaled us with tales of Torchwood dodginess, Tomorrow People memories, and the utter strangeness of Sapphire and Steel.
Twitter, for those not in the know, is a “micro-blogging” platform that lets you jot off quick notes in 140 characters or less. At first I was in the same boat as most, not “getting it,” but soon I found that if I dashed off quick notes about whatever struck my fancy, I soon developed followers based on those topics. Besides the digerati I already know here in Vancouver, I’ve also built up a small community of fellow videographers, and we spend a lot of our time firing advice back and forth. It’s also a great way to interact with the small and highly-connected audience of my podcast.
At any rate, New York Magazine has a feature on the guys behind Twitter, who are neither in New York nor making any money with their service. But it’s still an interesting peek into the world of a hot start-up.
In this penultimate episode before the Three Who Rule arrive in Los Angeles and dispense their own particular brand of Canadian havoc, the news was sparse but the banter broad, ranging from Al Waxman’s storied career all the way to….well, the shenanigans to come at Gallifrey 2009.
Charlie Brooker hosts Screenwipe, a great, gleefully cynical show about the foul trench of villainy and drivel that is television. The clip below illustrates how TV sets you up for disappointment by showing people living the high life and being better than you’ll ever be. Absolute gold.
E-books are a medium that, like picture phones, always seems to be right over the horizon but never actually comes to pass. In fact, an excellent article at Ars Technica recently detailed just how backward and resistant to change the publishing industry is, and the struggles pioneering e-book companies have had to go through to get both publishers and the public to accept paperless literature. But a number of factors (including, not surprisingly, the iPhone, but also the impending launch of a new Kindle reader from Amazon) are trending towards the e-book finally emerging as a viable reading platform.
Pia Guerra is widely known as the artist behind the award winning “Y: The Last Man” comic series. But she’s also the artist on “Doctor Who – The Forgotten“, a new series starring everyone’s favorite Time Lord (in multiple incarnations). Oh yes, and a devoted Whovian. Radio Free Skaro‘s Warren Frey visited Pia in her Vancouver studio and got a peek at the creative process behind the comic (and her truly daunting collection of Who figures.)
Radio Free Skaro Presents: An interview with Pia Guerra from Warren Frey on Vimeo.
