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A fun discussion of all things nerdy!
Episodes
Thursday Oct 13, 2011
Thursday Oct 13, 2011
Leave your childhood traumas at the door as you listen to Geek Salad episode 54: Walt Disney - Bippity Boppity Balls. Join Andy and Mike along with regular guests Jim and Adam, along with a live studio audience, as they discuss the dark side the Disney. Yes, your hosts push aside the happy, shiny veneer and dare to reveal the dark, disturbing, and just plain wrong moments of Disney films. Then stick around for a Disney-themed "Stupid, Stupid", Salad Shills cover everything from delicious Italian pastries to the season premieres of a number of quality shows, and Trailer Park brings to us the pure glory that is "The Avengers"!
Geek Salad is available at www.geeksalad.podbean.com, or can be subscribed to at the iTunes store by using keyword “geek salad.” Geek Salad is also part of the Stitcher family. Download the app for your Android, iPhone, or Blackberry at www.stitcher.com!
Contact Geek Salad at geeksalad@yahoo.com. Geek Salad is also available on Facebook under the group heading “Geek Salad Podcast.” Please subscribe to their Twitter feed: @geeksaladradio
Geek Salad is intended for adult listeners and contains coarse language and profanity. Listener discretion is advised.Thursday Oct 06, 2011
Thursday Oct 06, 2011
Thursday Oct 06, 2011
Thursday Oct 06, 2011
Harken back to the days before Geek Salad joined the Podbean family with the first part of Retro Episode 28: A Requiem for Jek Porkins. Join Andy and Mike as they celebrate the 30th Anniversary of "Empire Strikes Back" with a two-part episode discussing the original Star Wars trilogy. Part one deals with "A New Hope" and "Empire Strikes Back". Originally posted May 21, 2010. Geek Salad is available at www.geeksalad.podbean.com, or can be subscribed to at the iTunes store by using keyword “geek salad.” Contact Geek Salad at geeksalad@yahoo.com or visit their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/geeksalad. Geek Salad is also available on Facebook under the group heading “Geek Salad Podcast.” Please subscribe to their Twitter feed: @geeksaladradio Geek Salad is intended for adult listeners and contains coarse language and profanity. Listener discretion is advised.
Monday Oct 03, 2011
Monday Oct 03, 2011
“Why are you defending them?” my wife asked me when I told her about this article. “They’re going to make it harder to jump between the two sites….I only hope that our ques carry over!”
There has been a lot of nonsense that has been brought on by Netflix since their announcement this summer that they were going to be raising their rates to up to 60% and that charges would be split individually between the DVD side and the streaming side. This was followed a few weeks ago by the announcement that the DVD site would be changed from Netflix.com to Quikster.com (it hasn’t gone unnoticed that they couldn’t even go with the common spelling of the word “quick”) and that both ques would need to be managed separately, creating a level of inconvenience and confusion not seen since people were asked if they honestly liked Michael Bay’s “Transformers.”
As a customer of Netflix since 2001, I have shaken my head enough to try to figure out what the hell they were thinking. But never once did I consider dropping them and going to another outlet such as Blockbuster, Red Box, Wal-Mart Online, or Comcast On-Demand. The closest thing I have thought about was to drop from my 3 discs (with Blu-Ray) and streaming down to two discs (Blu-Ray and streaming) to save a couple of bucks.
I can’t defend the stupidity of their actions. Personally, I think that the splitting of the brand is unbelievably dumb! My rate increase was not as drastic as the subscribers who only do the 1 disc and streaming (mine only went up under 20%, and I am not alone in subscribing with the multiple discs). I also have an issue with, what seems to be, the dwindling selection of their vaunted streaming library. Ill-advised strong arming during negotiations has cost Netflix the abilty to steam Starz Play (where the Disney animated features are coming from), as well as other studios work. Also, certain titles seem to come and go with no real reason given. As it stands right now, I’m still pissed that the series of “Word World” has vanished from the library, causing my wife to broach the subject with our 3 year-old as if we had to describe that the cat was now “sleeping” in heaven. I can’t justify any of this, but what I can defend is the inherent value of the service that I have been partaking of for the last 10 years.
When I first started with Netflix, I had done it solely to start up with back episodes of “The Sopranos.” This was also back when the only shipping depot was across the country in California. Once I had finished the first 3 seasons of “The Sopranos,” I began to look very deep into the selection of DVDs that were available. It was like going back to the family owned video store that I worked at during college. The selection gave me the most obscure comedies, the hardest to find classics, and more than just the current Oscar nominated documentaries. Thanks to Netflix, I have significantly increased my movie viewing experience and have been able to watch the types of films that I wouldn’t normally have access to. Since those early days, I have seen my rates go up at first, and then down to lower than when I started. I have seen the delivery time dwindle from having to wait 5 days in between deliveries to 2 days. Then Netflix Streaming was introduced, and I could watch more during the in between days that I waited for another disc to arrive. All in all, this is a better value per an entire month than a single night out at the movies (and don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy the movie going experience, but I’ve got a kid and a mortgage!).
Changing to another movie provider would incur a number of changes that I just don’t think anybody should have to settle for. Let’s start with selection. Going through Redbox means that I can only get the latest new releases, all of which are feature films. So that means no documentaries, no “need to catch up on” classics, and no diversity. I’d probably enjoy Redbox if I was thirteen years old and was into the latest PG-13 horror movies, but I’ve been to the other side of the mountain.
Going through Blockbuster or Wal-Mart Streaming means that I get the best movies completely whitewashed of controversy and director’s integrity. It is the policy of both providers that any movie they carry requires a rating, meaning that if an unrated director’s cut of a movie is available, you’ll have to pound sand and deal with the PG-13 version of it (I don’t lend the show “Family Guy” much credence, but there was a pretty spot-on bit about Blockbuster where they said that it was their policy to remove anything that might upset certain viewers. They then cut to a scene from “The Prince of Tides” where Streisand’s nose had a black bar in front of it.). These two carriers have had a hand for the past decade in dumbing down the movie viewing experience such as putting an emphasis on Full Screen movies over Widescreen, not going beyond the big studios, and limiting access to smaller movies that could use the audience.
Finally, cost and the overall value play a huge part in it. I could go through my Comcast On-Demand, but I’m paying about $5 for a hi-def movie that I can watch as many times as I want within a 24 hour period. Have you ever tried to watch “Kung Fu Panda” more than once in a row???? Now multiply those $5 per movie by 30 days in a month…see what I mean? Plus, we get back to selection. Sure, On-Demand gets movies faster than Netflix (and Redbox), but that’s again only if you’re interested in new releases.
Look, no company is perfect. You just need to turn on the news to realize that. However, I think that once the furor of the price hikes and web changes are in the past, we’ll go on to enjoying what Netflix does best; deliver the most impressive selection of movies and tv anywhere. Think about that the next time you’re going through Redbox and somebody asks you if you want to watch “The Manchurian Candidate” (the Laurence Harvey version, not that Denzel Washington shit!). Or if you’re so inclined…feel free to bootleg….more power to you!!!!
Wednesday Sep 28, 2011
Wednesday Sep 28, 2011
Set your Flux Capacitor for 1.21 Gigawatts or hop into your TARDIS and prepare to journey back in time with Mike and Andy for Episode 53 of Geek Salad...and this time, they're bringing special guests Jim and Adam (the Superfan) with them as they debate the merits of time travel with such offerings as "Time Bandits," "Quantum Leap," "Dr. Who," Star Trek," and "Back to the Future," among others!
Then stick around for a Stupid Stupid where Andy gets back on the soapbox to bemoan the reaction to the new photo of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. Trailer Park includes a spirited "chat" about "Real Steel!" And the Star Wars Blu-Rays and the breakup of R.E.M. are discussed in the Shills!
Geek Salad is available at www.geeksalad.podbean.com, or can be subscribed to at the iTunes store by using keyword “geek salad.” Geek Salad is also part of the Stitcher family. Download the app for your Android, iPhone, or Blackberry at www.stitcher.com!
Contact Geek Salad at geeksalad@yahoo.com. Geek Salad is also available on Facebook under the group heading “Geek Salad Podcast.” Please subscribe to their Twitter feed: @geeksaladradio
Geek Salad is intended for adult listeners and contains coarse language and profanity. Listener discretion is advised.
Wednesday Sep 28, 2011
Wednesday Sep 28, 2011
Wednesday Sep 28, 2011
Please have faith in Christopher Nolan...for the love of all that is holy!!!!!!
Wednesday Sep 21, 2011
Tuesday Sep 20, 2011
Tuesday Sep 20, 2011
Harken back to the days before Geek Salad joined the Podbean family with Retro Episode 14: Midichlorian Mania!!! Join Andy, original co-host Mike C, and Mike G when he was still just an in-studio guest, as they go through the Star Wars Prequels. Be prepared to be shocked as the trio go over both the very bad, but also the good points about Star Wars episodes I-III. Originally posted June 18, 2009. Geek Salad is available at www.geeksalad.podbean.com, or can be subscribed to at the iTunes store by using keyword “geek salad.” Contact Geek Salad at geeksalad@yahoo.com or visit their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/geeksalad. Geek Salad is also available on Facebook under the group heading “Geek Salad Podcast.” Please subscribe to their Twitter feed: @geeksaladradio Geek Salad is intended for adult listeners and contains coarse language and profanity. Listener discretion is advised.
Thursday Sep 15, 2011
Thursday Sep 15, 2011
An Open Letter to My Fellow Star Wars Fans: We Need to Get Over It!
Dear SW Fans,
The last few weeks leading up to the release of the Star Wars Saga on Blu-Ray have been a bit on the tumultuous side. Much of this anger has been aimed at the announcement of "fixes" to scenes in the original trilogy that have been deemed either unnecessary, or just plain stupid. The center of the controversy is a ten second addition to the scene in "Return of the Jedi," towards the end where Vader, watching Emperor Palpatine fry Luke Skywalker with his evil Sith lightning, changes his mind about being a Sith and quietly says "No," followed by his picking up The Emperor and dumping him down the bottomless shaft (there really should be more safety rails in that throne room!) and screaming "Noooooooo!" Stupid? Maybe. Unnecessary? Absolutely! Cause for a boycott of the Blu-Rays? Are you kidding?
The main argument that I have heard has been that it reminds the audience that Vader, intergalactic badass, is still the whiny bitch who hated sand, tried spinning his ship because it seemed like a good idea, and got his girlfriend damp in the nethers after describing his slaughter of the Sand People. I'm sorry, but if you've just watched a full six hours of the same guy pulling Rebel's balls out through their spine and choking his leadership team "just 'cuz," are you really going to equate him with Hayden Christiansen (this is presuming you're watching them in IV-III order, which should go without saying!)?
Folks, we need to get over the changes that are inevitably going to be made every time these movies get released on the next level of electronic media. Lucas has stated since the 1997 release of the Special Editions that he was never happy with the way that the movies turned out, blaming constraints in the SFX technology that was available at the time. And I don't really remember anybody complaining about the MASSIVE amount of tinkering that went on there. Ok, apart from Greedo shooting first....that was just plain stupid!
A good deal of the stuff from the '07 Editions were actually pretty cool. Better perspective of the fighters, cleaner picture and sound, the dramatically better looking Cloud City (and for the record, not one person has mentioned anything about "Empire" remaining unscathed....just sayin'!), spruced up effects, etc. And the stuff that we didn't like, or out and out hated, we just dealt with. To this day, I still despise the change to the Max Rebo Band scene at Jabba's palace, including the constant breaking of the fourth wall, but I deal with it. It hasn't hampered my enjoyment of the original trilogy on the whole.
Part of my amazement about this controversy is that the brunt of the changes have been made to "Return of the Jedi," the movie that has widely been considered the worst in the original trilogy due to it's reliance on slapstick and warrior teddy bears. When did we suddenly care that this movie was getting the lion's share of the edits? I'll add that the coolest scene in the movie, when the Millennium Falcon flies through the hundreds of TIE Fighters during the Battle of Endor (to the day the most complex special effect filmed by traditional means) was sprinkled with a few more TIE Fighters and the shot doesn't appear to be ruined.
Much of the rancor aimed at the changes overall is that George Lucas is pissing all over our cherished childhood memories. That adding all this extra stuff is going to turn the viewing experience into an evening burying our heads in our hands. My childhood memories about Star Wars have all been about the excitement of journeying to far off planets, being chased by enemy fighters, rescuing the princess, and having one shot to save the day. At last check, all of that is still in the movie. So was being forced into retreat by giant walkers, being chased through an asteroid field and feeling exhilarated watching Luke and Vader duel for the first (and second) time. So what if R2 hides behind a few more rocks while Obi-Wan uses an actual, y'know, scary cry to frighten off the Sand People? So what if the door on Jabba's palace is twice it's original 1983 size? So what if the Ewoks can blink their eyes (for the record, that terrifies the living fuck out of me!)? And so what if we can audibly hear Vader have a change of heart and become the redeemed man that Lucas said the objective of the first trilogy was about?
At the end of the day, I'll be into the Blu-Rays for the extra documentaries, the deleted scenes, the vastly improved picture and sound quality, and the all 13 or so hours of the movies. A mere 15 seconds off added nonsense isn't going to affect my enjoyment of that...
....and neither should it affect yours.
Andy
Geek Salad