Normal? Service Will Be Resumed...

I live in Wales.

I still haven't racked up more than four days on the trot yet, the downstairs of my house is full of boxes and laundry (and boxes of laundry) and light on furniture, but the fact is inescapable. Not that there aren't signs of domesticity. I think that getting the bedroom into a decent state (or close to at least) has been essential. Also, while waiting for the arrival of the "Sofa of Destiny", we have furnished my little upstairs cubby hole, this serves as "Lounge (2)" for the time being.

So, hopefully my plans to return to the keyboard a bit more regularly in 2014 will soon be in a position to be realised. Right now I have to go to another keyboard where I shall continue to wrap my head around Microsoft MVC. Later, clearing space for the Sofa of Destiny.

Archived Podcasts - Various

Episode Extra - Day of the Doctor Who Overload

The 80's Kids sit down for a quick post 'Day of the Doctor' chat. Topics are rambling and many, from the shopping list requirements Moffat needed for the “Event”, John Hurts sympathetic Non Doctor, the through line of the Doctor's character all the way from 1963 to the present, to regeneration limits, the vast unexplored future the series has laid out before us and much more.



Direct Link: https://archive.org/download/ExtraDayOfTheDoctorWhoOverload/Extra-Day-of-the-Doctor-Who-Overload.mp3

Episode 29 - 80s Kids Supreme Force Attack Base Available Now $129.99

This week the 80's kids(tm) gleefully tackle their childhood cartoon memories and the many, many toys that came with them. From the MEGA sized toy financed American imports to the Epic sprawling French serials and also the wit and charm of the UK based Cosgrove Hall. Our decade themed trio finally have a subject they can all speak about with authority.

Justin (Batteries not Included) born an Artist, fondly remembers the visually stunning 'Thundercats' intro sequence and lovingly building his own 'Danger Mouse' Flying Car. Leo (Sold Separately) born a Story Teller, has a special place in his heart for the friendships forged over shared viewings of 'Dungeons and Dragons' or the imaginative hours lost playing with 'MASK' or 'GI Joe' toys with his pals. Ian (Choking Hazard) born Yesterday, recalls his never ending demands for more and more toys to fill his empty consumer heart and the various childhood traumas that came from seeing Optimus Prime slowly dying from internal injuries.

But only by combining together to form the gestalt “Eighties Kids-a-Tron” (Product may vary from Box Picture) can they hope to tackle 'He-Man' the most Fabulous man in the Universe and his indomitable toy range of lame associates. This is the 'Revenge of the 80's Kids: Eighties Cartoon Episode' and all the cool kids have one!

Hero Down Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/



Direct Link: https://archive.org/download/02980sKidsSupremeForceAttackBaseAvailableNow12999/029-80s-Kids-Supreme-Force-Attack-Base-Available-Now-129-99.mp3

Episode 30 - 1986 Howard The Duck And Other Resignation Issues

In an effort to save Ian from resigning in protest over the imminent discussion about the movie hence forth known only as “The George Lucas Duck Thing”. The whole team (Sue included) rally round to nurse him through the delights and joys of 1986's other film offerings. Like a quartet of greedy pigeons they take it in turns to peck away at 86's selection box and reminisce about such delights as Labyrinth, Flight of the Navigator, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Aliens, Big Trouble in Little China, The Golden Child and the many other worthy experiences this year has to offer.

Then they pick over the bones as they get down to the dregs with Solarbabies and Wraith. Anything really than talk about that “The George Lucas Duck Thing”. But in the end, with support from Leo, Justin and Sue, Ian agrees with them that Sylvester Stallone's 'Cobra' is probably a worse offence to common decency than anything Lucas did that year.



Direct Link: https://archive.org/download/0301986HowardTheDuckAndOtherResignationIssues/030-1986-Howard-the-Duck-and-other-Resignation-Issues.mp3

Archived Podcast - McGann Dead After Geriatric Spy Drives Delorean Commando Style In Brazil

The 80's kids finally arrive in the year 1985! However after only a brief look at the massive list of films to cover they give up on the project almost immediately. Instead they gather up only 10 of the most memorable starting with probably 85's most identifiable screen offering, “Back to the Future”.

Digestion begins. Spielberg's long shadow is felt throughout, from the Goonies to Young Sherlock Holmes and Weird Science. It's the age of the young person having an amazing adventure, with thrills and laughs along the way. Unless your name happens to be Dorothy Gale, in which case things are looking very grim indeed.

Leo continues to follow Schwarzenegger's offerings with delight and glee while Ian recoils in nausea and exasperation at Roger Moore's now rather flaccid 007. Justin cheers him up with diversions in 85's more artistic film offerings with the visually stunning Brazil and Legend. As usual Leo unleashes the Zombies to the indifference of some.

On the subject of rising unexpectedly from the dead … Paul McGann returns to our screens as the Titular Time Lord for the first time in 17 years! As before his Dr Who vehicle crashes and burns, this time with startlingly different results. The 80's Kids muse on the implications in a nice chat at the end.


Direct Link: https://archive.org/download/0281985McgannDEADAfterGeriatricSpyDrivesDeloreanCommandoStyleInBrazil/028-1985-Mcgann-DEAD-after-Geriatric-Spy-drives-Delorean-Commando-style-in-Brazil.mp3

Podcast - A Podcast Worth A Thousand Words

Although none of those words are spoken by Ian, sadly absent from this week's cast but fondly remembered by Leo and Justin who get down to business talking about films with that particular visual flair.

Never ones to steer clear of the clashing rocks of cliche we steer full steam ahead into asking an artist what it is he likes in the cinema generally. We talk Burton, we talk Gilliam and while we're at it we talk Kubrick, Hitchcock passes through on the way somewhere else. As the visual medium is dissected we necessarily revisit the topic of CGI versus practical and the increasing difficulty of telling them apart.

Finally we visit the new breed of CGI-fest film a la, and specifically, Sin City and 300 which are not designed to mask their CG roots, but rather revel in being a highly stylised visual feast, is this a great thing or a menace?


Direct Link: http://eightieskids.podomatic.com/entry/2014-01-09T11_42_37-08_00

Safe Prediction For 2014

It's not really safe, not at all, but that's the nature of predictions. All I have to offer beyond the fact that to me this one seems kind of obvious is that all the other things I've deemed kind of obvious in the past have come to fruition. The only problem is that I never made a big thing out of my predictions, and sometimes they have odd wrinkles. For example, in 2005 I was banging on about the inevitability of Self-Publishing becoming a "thing", I just didn't see the Kindle Event Horizon where everyone started reading e-books on their devices.

Anyway this is my prediction for this year:

Wattpad will go supernova. It's already pretty big within itself and a few people outside the Wattpad-osphere have noticed the phenomenon. By the end of 2015 to "Wattpad it" as in "to put a work onto Wattpad" will be a verb and Wattpad will be a name with the same status as Facebook and Google.

You read it here first.

IMPORTANT CAVEAT: I have yet to find a single readable thing on Wattpad but the kids seem to dig it. I live in hope of finding something I like on there but it's pretty difficult at this stage to know where to start.

People who talk about Wattpad seem to all be on Wattpad and talk about it on Wattpad. Therefore there are no meta-Wattpad watchers or commentators as yet. This is the only part of the mega-phenom recipe that is missing at present.

The basis for my conclusion is that if all a phenomenon is missing is a meta-discourse then, well, it's right at the tipping point of becoming some kind of cultural staple, surely.

You read it here, well, not quite first, but more specific second.

New Year New Stuff

Last year, as regular followers will have noticed (if such exist), was filled with Bridgetown Tales and podcasts. They kind of took over after a while as I was trying to build up enough of a "buffer" with Bridgetown to have November free to Nano (a plan that worked). As a result though everything else got sidetracked.

This year I'm looking to learn the lesson of last year, that is don't promise to write circa 180,000 words of extraneous 'other stuff' on a whim, because, in the end, that will be all you write.

Not that I'm complaining the 180,000 words of Bridgetown and the 50,000 of a new SF novel for Nano were jolly good and I even managed to clock in 10,000 more of Taliesin in the end which puts my word count for the year at about 250,000.

But this year I'm looking to make a move into more controlled projects. Nothing weekly. I loved doing the serial though so I've already decided to switch venue for that to Wattpad. Basically things are in the pipeline.

I am, however, in the process of moving house so... we shall have to see how that interferes.

Oh, yes, and I'm planning more regular blogging time in 2014 as well. I think I shall try to maintain that as a priority, it's sad to see so much stuff issue forth on a weekly basis but with no time to actually talk about it or comment upon it. It makes it look, digitally, as if I'm a crazy word-slinging recluse who does nothing but churn out fantasy and sci-fi. Maybe I am, but commentary is good too.

Podcast - Lost Christmas Episode

The cast of the original 80s Kids cartoon show reunite for this special Christmas episode. Find out the relevance of pink custard, particularly when contained in a blue earthenware jug; why you might not want to go out for milk when there are aliens about; what Fortnum and Mason started serving in 1886 (Real Trivia Fact!); and what happened to the *real* Ebenezer Scrooge in this crazy sci-fi adventure from the people who brought you loads of rambling discussion about 80s movies.



Direct Link: http://eightieskids.podomatic.com/entry/2013-12-26T07_15_19-08_00