Podcasts, podcasts, podcasts

Besides being busy with mixing and mastering the upcoming double album, "The Best Of TheSongOfTheDay.com" (slated for January!), Randy and I have been busy steadily working on improving IndiebandSurvivalGuide.com for our fellow indie musicians. But, we've also been interviewed on some podcasts over the last few months and wanted to share a few links below.

We were interviewed by Dave Slusher of Evil Genius Chronicles while we attended Dragon*Con 2008. It was great to talk to him as Dave is a podcasting pioneer. It turns out he first heard about Beatnik Turtle a long time ago on BoardGameGeek.com's old GeekSpeak podcast (where we did the theme).

Click here for Part I of the interview.
Click here for Part II of the interview.

We were also interviewed by Command Line on his excellent podcast:

Click here for the 2008 interview.

And, if you're interested, the interview we did with Command Line over a year ago is linked below as well. You can tell we were right smack dab in the middle of writing The Indie Band Survival Guide. We were so in the thought-process of the book, the podcast is dripping in information.

Click here for the Pre-The Indie Band Survival Guide 2007 interview.

Also, that old GeekSpeak podcast at BoardGameGeek.com? It's back. Click here to listen to GeekSpeak 2.0.

Oh and - Happy Thanksgiving!

Will It Blend?

In anticipation of Thanksgiving and things cullinary, I thought we'd share a new use for a common Kitchen tool: the blender.

Here's our new YouTube friend, Tom Dickson, using his Blendtec blender on an iPhone. But will it blend?



To see Tom blend the living hell out of more crap, check out the Blendtec YouTube page. Also, to get you in the holiday mood, here's a bunch of BT songs about food and songs about drinking.

Happy Turkey day - Gobble,Gobble!

BT Status Report. . . It Is Flippin' COLD!

To BT fans living in warmer climates: You people are geniuses. It is already scarf-over-your-face-to-prevent-wind-burn weather here in Chicago. And its only just begun.

As for what's been up at Beatnik Turtle Industries... Lots. Tom R., Jason, Ryan, and Carrie had been working hard this weekend touching up songs for the upcoming Best of TheSongOfTheDay.com album (Coming in early 2009). Meanwhile Randy and I are pounding away on the IndieBandSurvivalGuide.com site: We have a LOT of upgrades in mind for December.

We've also been discussing some plans for the 2009 RPM Challenge an how to involve you (Yes, you. The person in front of the monitor.) Don't worry, you'll get an update on that well before February 1st, 2009. Keep checking in for more info.

Hey, you have to do something to fight the cabin fever when its this cold.

Free Shipping With Code for BT Shirts Through November 28, 2008

Been wanting your very own BT Shirt? Maybe one for one of your many friends? Looks like our T-Shirt shop will be giving FREE ground UPS domestic shipping if you use one of these codes now through November 28, 2008*.

Coupon codes:
USD$: WINTER48
CAD$: CADWWINTER48

Visit Beatnik Turtle's T-Shirt Emporium

*Minimun $30.00 order required. Offer available for domestic US shipping only.

Geek Shout Out: John Williams is the Man

Okay, I don't know who this guy who did this is, but he's awesome on so many levels. Major props!



Not enough Star wars for you? Try these: Star Wars (A Film Like No Other) or The Empire Strikes Back

Election Day... Finally

Wow, its getting CRAZY here in Chi-Town. They're re-scheduling trains, closing streets, and enforcing parking bans in anticipation of today: Election Day. And with the unseasonably nice weather, the turnout should be HUGE. If you are coming downtown have a plan to get in and a plan to get out: You will have both Commuter Railway Blues and Why Don't You Drive syndrome.

Speaking of the election, remember what Neil Peart said; "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." No matter who you vote for to be the next US president, Barack Obama, John McCain, Bob Barr (That's for you Neil) or someone else crazy enough to want the job, get out and do it. Because there's often more than just the next president on the line. Nobody Voted for this Guy could actually be about a governor with a 13% approval rating, a senator, a representative, a judge, a county coroner, or even hugely important state issues, like the Illinois Constitutional Convention (or Con-con) which could have major implications in the Land of Lincoln.

So don't be the guy in Smarter 'n Better 'n You... Well, unless other people ARE smarter 'n better 'n you. Yee-Haw!

Geek Shout Out: Spaced

On a lark, I rented a British show featuring Simon Pegg and a few others you might recognize from Shaun of the Dead. It's called Spaced and, this is why Americans love the BBC, its bloody fantastic. I just finished Season 1 and am joyfully looking forward to Season 2 coming in the mail.

Pegg is great in this (As always) as Tim, the broken-hearted comic artist/geek, but I really appreciated the other cast members as well. Jessica Hynes (then Stevenson), who co-wrote and plays the female lead, Daisy, is both shameless and hilarious. Mark Heap, who plays Brian, the disturbed artist from downstairs, is also excellent. Additionally the cinematography is top notch and a character in itself: a credit to director Edgar Wright.

The writing is funny and more referential then a Family Guy and Simpsons episode mashed together. Also the characters are strong and well written. Pegg and Hynes play character dynamics very well: Cheers keeps coming to mind.

If you define your self as a geek and a fan of sci-fi, pop-culture and humor from across the pond, this one's for you.

Amazon Begins Fighting Wrap-Rage

THANK YOU AMAZON (and cooperating businesses)! Tom R. and I are sort of usability buffs and have had MANY conversations about how frustrating and annoying those clam shell, twist-tie, over packed products are, especially when you buy online. I suppose there are very minor points to the wasteful and cumbersome packing for a "brick-and-mortar" store to deter what the retail industry calls "shrinkage" (No, not the same thing that George Costanza got on Seinfeld). But there is no reason for that crap with online vendors.

The video they have is cute too. Especially for those of us who have bought a kid a toy and had them loose interest/joy because unwrapping the thing took forever. Wrap rage indeed.

Hopefully Amazon will not stop there. If we can just remove what Denis Leary calls the "Dog bone mother-(expletive deleted)" packaging from CDs and DVDs. But since online downloads came around, that can be avoided... Unless of course you want to maybe give some stocking-stuffers.

Which reminds me, BT albums make great holiday gift-a-reenos! I am shameless. I do not apologize.