Archive for August, 2008
VFTQ 114 - VFTQ Classic Interview
Hey there! Due to a huge workload this week, I am replaying part of an old interview I did a while back with JC Hutchins. Listen to my horribly squeaky voice.
Cian.
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In this episode of the View from the Quad, I interview the genius behind 7th Son, J.C Hutchins. We talk about where the idea for his book came from, his rig (what he uses to record and edit) and J.C wanting to be put in old man makeup, and acting as an old man. Also on the cards is the First movie which he saw which made him want to write this sort of stuff, (original Star Wars, not the new one *shiver*) exploding listnership and exploding lorries. But that is not all! (In fact, that is just the first 20 min or so!) Listen to find out exactly how our (mindbending for me) conversation went! My fave qoute which makes me look like an idiot: “When I was trying to contact you cause things went a bit south, I managed to find your address and phone number. Has anybody ever contacted you about that?” “No.” “Ah… Ehmm…”
Visit JC at www.JChutchins.net
Vote for me in the European Podcast Awards!
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Starting WoW and View From the Quad have both been entered into the European Podcast Awards, and now they need YOUR help to get through! Please vote for Starting WoW by clicking http://tinyurl.com/67hqzo, clicking “Vote” and then by giving 5 stars for each catagory. Then, if you have the time, vote for VFTQ by going to http://tinyurl.com/63n3zd and voting in the same way. If you only vote for one of my podcasts, vote for SWoW please. Thanks!
VFTQ 113 - Walk like an Olympian
View From The Quad #113 - Walk like an Olympian can be downloaded for free at www.ViewFromTheQuad.com
Hello and welcome to this fine episode of View From The Quad! Today on the show we cram as much content into our allotted time as we possibly can, covering diverse topics such as new iPod rumors, PC Guy’s secret long lost brother and how to become an Olympic contender. If you have the money. And the will to work out a lot, of course.
Sponsor: Try GotoMeeting free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit “http://www.gotomeeting.com/podcast”
Links
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http://gizmodo.com/5040318/10-gadgets-that-help-you-play-like-an-olympian - Things to make you feel like an olympic competitor. Or not…
http://totallylookslike.com/2008/08/21/john-hodgman-totally-looks-like-dr-bunsen-honeydew/ PC Guy’s secret alter ego?
http://gizmodo.com/5040823/kevin-rose-ipod-rumors-price-cut-new-itunes-80-features-and-tall-rounded-nano - Kevin Rose’s iPod predictions.
Vote for me in the European Podcast Awards!
—–
Starting WoW and View From the Quad have both been entered into the European Podcast Awards, and now they need YOUR help to get through! Please vote for Starting WoW by clicking http://tinyurl.com/67hqzo, clicking “Vote” and then by giving 5 stars for each catagory. Then, if you have the time, vote for VFTQ by going to http://tinyurl.com/63n3zd and voting in the same way. If you only vote for one of my podcasts, vote for SWoW please. Thanks!
VFTQ 112 - LISTEN!
View From The Quad episode 112 can be downloaded for FREE at www.ViewFromTheQuad.com
Hey there, and welcome to this episode of VFTQ! Today on the show, we talk about:
Sci-Fi show using SUBLIMINAL MESSAGING to persuade people to watch… WRESTLING! If you have any idea what is going on, send in your anon tips! 001-206-203-4610
Next, we talk about my NEW MACBOOK PROOOOOOOO! Teh W00tZ!
Now, Top 6 thoughts makes an appearance, and then I rant a bit on teenage pregnancy. Sort of.
Sponsor: Try GotoMeeting free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit “http://www.gotomeeting.com/podcast”
LINKS
http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2008/08/13/are-they-already-here/ - sci-fi using subliminal messaging
http://static.crooksandliars.com/2008/08/pregnancystatistic.jpg - teenage pregnancy drops off after the age 25
Vote for me in the European Podcast Awards!
—–
Starting WoW and View From the Quad have both been entered into the European Podcast Awards, and now they need YOUR help to get through! Please vote for Starting WoW by clicking http://tinyurl.com/67hqzo, clicking “Vote” and then by giving 5 stars for each catagory. Then, if you have the time, vote for VFTQ by going to http://tinyurl.com/63n3zd and voting in the same way. If you only vote for one of my podcasts, vote for SWoW please. Thanks!
VFTQ 111 - Damn MSN idiots!
VFTQ episode 111. Download at www.viewfromthequad.com
Hello there, and welcome to this episode of View From The Quad!
First we talk about how to remove this pesky MSN thing which sends messages to all your friends. Chances are you know somebody who has it, and have wanted to strangle them for their COMPLETE INCOMPETENCE with computers. Gah! Idiots! Listen to this to learn how to fix with the greatest of ease! If you are reading these on ViewFromTheQuad.com, click “Read More” to see the list of websites that your infected friends might link you too, and ignore them like the plague itself. If you are viewing this on your MP3 Player, RSS catcher or what have you, just scroll down.
Next on the list, DEFCON hackers manage to DISABLE pacemakers remotly! Time for the doctors to start worrying! Sure, you have to be REALLY close to the person, and sure, you have to be there for a good long time, but it could still happen!
Sponsor: Try GotoMeeting free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit “http://www.gotomeeting.com/podcast”
Links
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http://nickioc.blogspot.com/2008/06/virus-msn-pics-for-msn-friends-v11c.html - Instructions for getting rid of the MSN Pics for MSN Friends v1.1c thing
http://venturebeat.com/2008/08/08/defcon-excuse-me-while-i-turn-off-your-pacemaker/ - Hackers manage to disable Pacemakers remotely
http://web-japan.org/trends/07_lifestyle/lif080707.html - The suit that washes itself
Thanks for listening! Laters!
Vote for me in the European Podcast Awards!
—–
Starting WoW and View From the Quad have both been entered into the European Podcast Awards, and now they need YOUR help to get through! Please vote for Starting WoW by clicking http://tinyurl.com/67hqzo, clicking “Vote” and then by giving 5 stars for each catagory. Then, if you have the time, vote for VFTQ by going to http://tinyurl.com/63n3zd and voting in the same way. If you only vote for one of my podcasts, vote for SWoW please. Thanks!
Read more
VFTQ 110 - Back from CTYI
VFTQ 110 - Back From CTYI. Download at www.viewfromthequad.com
Hey there! It feels so great to be back in front of a microphone, preaching to you lot. Although I don’t preach.
I could do with a peach though… Om nom nom nom…
Anyway, In this episode I give “The State of the reUnion”, talk about Why Geeks make Better Lovers and read an article I wrote on my last days in CTYI. Tear. (Or Pi, depending on how B.E.N.T you are. Yes, Injoke.)
Sponsor: Try GotoMeeting free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit “http://www.gotomeeting.com/podcast”
Vote for me in the European Podcast Awards!
—–
Starting WoW and View From the Quad have both been entered into the European Podcast Awards, and now they need YOUR help to get through! Please vote for Starting WoW by clicking http://tinyurl.com/67hqzo, clicking “Vote” and then by giving 5 stars for each catagory. Then, if you have the time, vote for VFTQ by going to http://tinyurl.com/63n3zd and voting in the same way. If you only vote for one of my podcasts, vote for SWoW please. Thanks!
CTYI 2008 Review
Warning: If you do not wish to read an article which MAY feature in episode 110 of VFTQ, please do not read on.
I sit at my desk, drinking my first cup of good tea in three weeks. And I don’t want to be.
I want to be sitting in an overcrowded canteen at 8 AM, drinking overbrewed orange-twinged rubbish which I got from a huge vat. I want to be sitting at the very same over-crowded canteen eating undercooked chips, sloppy oily pizza and drinking water from a plastic cup. I want to be lying in the grass at ten to ten, holding somebody’s hand and laughing about something silly.
In short, I want to be in CTYI again. But I never shall.
For the past nine years, I have spent a portion of my summer at Dublin City University. Here, I have done college level courses over a short period of time. For the past four years, I have spent three weeks residential in the campus and done what amounts to the entire first year of a college course.
In 2005, I did 21st Century Science. 2006, Game Theory. 2007 brought Speculative Fiction Writing, and this year, I did an intensive course in Journalism.
During this course, I learnt about the many aspects of being a journalist. We watched films, documentaries and a writer for the Irish Independent explain the ins and outs of daily journalistic life. We created a 26 page newspaper entitled The American Pie. For this paper, I interviewed Paul Howard (Ross O’Carroll Kelly), made jelly in a bucket and even went to Dublin Zoo. The course was fantastic, Andrew Payne was an awesome instructor and it broke the really high standards usually set for CTYI courses.
However, it was not all about the course. Imagine this:
You are locked into a bubble with almost everything you need in it, along with around 249 other people. Here, hardly any news of the outside world gets in, and hardly any news of inside the bubble gets out.
The people in the bubble with you are all in the top 95th percentile in literature comprehension and maths. They wander around in bathrobes, argue about the validity of the Large Hadron Collider as a weapon and spend the entire three weeks pretending to be pirates. Crazy people. Fun people.
These are MY people. Geeks, Geniuses, whatever you decide to call them, they are fun to be around.
During Passionfruit, a little spoken of event for people who are too old to return to CTYI the following year, me and about 30 other guys and girls spoke, one at a time, about how CTYI has changed our lives. It was done in confidence, so I can’t share what others said. I can say what I told though.
I would not be this Cian Mac Mahon without CTYI. View From The Quad, Starting WoW, StuffSlasherSaw, my MINE submissions: All of these would not exist was it not for CTYI. 5 years ago, if you were to shove a microphone in my face, I would probably lash out at you. I hated being on camera, never mind editing my mistakes later. CTYI has brought out the loud-mouth in me, given me inspiration for short stories, projects, comedy pieces and articles. You would not be reading this right now were it not for the Computer Programming teacher who introduced me to Q-basic six years ago.
I would not have had the chance to meet all these amazing people were it not for CTYI. You all know who you are, and had I not met you, I would be a very different person. Some of you made me think about the bigger picture, what I want to be in the future years, some of you made me feel amazing and some of you are the best friends I could ever ask for.
This is all done now though. Never again will I be able to call myself a student of the Irish Center for Talented Youth. Never again will I drink the tea, eat the pizza and lie under the sky, next to the four walls we call The Quad, sharing the feeling with a friend. Maybe in three years I will go back and sit, nervous, in front of Colm O’Reilly as he decides if I am good enough to become a Residential Assistant and join the legion of the strange once again.
