I'm Back!

Okay, so the move is complete, and I have internet at home all hooked up now. I'm still in the process of unpacking, but the majority of it is done. Now I think I can have the time, or make the time, to start this blog back up. I know it's been longer than I said it would be, and I apologize for that, but I'm here again now. I'll post some pictures of the new apartment later, I'm really loving it. And the neighbors at the new place are the coolest people I've met in a long time.

But enough about me, let's get the the podcasts! Currently, I'm listening to "Playing for Keeps", by Mur Lafferty, and I'm still listening to "Ancestor" by Scott Sigler. Those are all I've had time for lately, and both have already been reviewed here before.

The other night I got myself up to date on Stranger Things. Right now, they're taking a short hiatus, as they gear up for even bigger events. Before we get to those, first my thoughts on this 'cast. After the first few episodes I thought the directing and acting could use some work. Perhaps the ST crew thought so too, because each episode just kept getting better. both in terms of the acting and directing, but also the stories they were presenting. Aside from the premier and the most recent episode, "Latchkeepers", they've been pretty short. (Aside, "Latchkeepers" is actually a long episode, but it was broken up into three parts, about 10 minutes each. It seemed rather strange to do that {no pun intended} but the breaks were chosen well, and kept my interest until the next episode. The entire presentation was release as one afterwards, for those who want the entire cake at once.) Despite their brevity, each one leave me with the feeling of "Hmm, that was interesting.... I've never thought about it that way." As with most good stories, Stranger Things likes to give a seemingly predictable story, and then throw in a twist at the end which can sometimes take the brain for a ride. All in all, this is definately a podcast worth checking out.

Now, originally Stranger Things was an internet only 'cast, albeit the first video podcast shot and released in HD. They have gained popularity lately, and have a deal in progress with Illusion On-Demand. Yes, Stranger Things will be on TV. The internet podcast will still be around, but being on TV will increase their audience dramatically. This increased audience will hopefully catch the attention of advertisers, which will lead to more money for the show. This in turn leads to a bigger budget, and a bigger budget means better production, and ultimately, better episodes. The hiatus I mentioned above is needed for them to organize the start on TV, but they will be back up and running again soon. Another possibility is a DVD of Season One. All of which is big news, and Stranger things had over 1500 subscribers before they even premiered. Once these things start going down, who knows how big they could get.

That's all for today, and again, I'm sorry for taking so long to get back to this. Below are some links to the 'casts mentioned. I'm also going to keep the links from the most recent post in the sidebar, for a quick overview of what was covered last.

Next time, a non-fiction podcast, "I Should Be Writing", by Mur Lafferty, updates on my own projects, and some plans for the future.

Playing for Keeps
Ancestor
Stranger Things
Illusion On-Demand