GeminiDragon - Audio/Video comedy/talk podcast with independent music from San Luis Obispo, CA

Item 59 – Slaying the dragon

Shawn — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 03:56:32 +0000

It’s been a few weeks since our last show. OK, more than a few weeks. Since our last show, we went to the wiener dog races. And other things have happened, too.

And oh yeah. This is the last GeminiDragon episode. Be sure and subscribe to our new podcast, No Market Radio. We’ll be launching in conjunction with the beginning of NaPodPoMo, which starts November 1st.

Item 58 – Quake cast

Shawn — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 02:48:36 +0000

It’s too warm in here to type up proper shownotes. The highlights:

Earthquake
Passports
Podcass these days

Don’t forget about our Facebook page or the Canadia trip.

Online Games are My Coffee Break

Jen — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 10:02:44 +0000

There was a time when I wasn’t playing any of the little time-waster type of online games. Then, I got on Facebook, and found Farmville. I am the first to admit that I am easily amused, so it can’t surprise anyone who knows me that there was a time when I was playing nearly all the Zynga games that Facebook had to offer.

There was a time when I was actively attempting to keep up with the constant addition of quests that Zynga likes to add into their various games. Eventually, this proved to be frustrating, because the only way to finish the quests, to advance in the game, or to receive a specific reward, was to spam up your Facebook page with requests for whatever item Zynga had currently deemed to be important.

Eventually, I decided to ignore most of the quests, and just make my own fun. Farmville started letting players customize the outfit that their character was wearing. To me, the most amusing ones were the Halloween costumes.

Ahoy! Here be Pirate Jen, plundering yer orchard!

Zynga had another game called Frontierville that I figured would be entertaining. Frontierville also allowed you to customize your character. In addition to your virtual self, you also got to create a spouse, and a couple of children. Of course, these options weren’t “unlocked” until you finished some quests. I think the most fun I had with Frontierville was creating a little virtual family. I made my character look like me, my “spouse” look like Shawn, and customized a couple of adopted children.

Ain’t no paternity tests on the Frontier, pardner!

Eventually, I found enough freelance writing work to fill my days (and nights), and shifted my focus to writing. I no longer had time to constantly check my farm, frontier, and whatever else Zynga had gotten me hooked on. There was a time that I wrote an angry, rant-filled status that announced that was through with the Zynga games forever! (Mostly because I was tired of constantly asking my friends for random virtual items).

There are plenty of quick little online games to play that don’t involve Facebook. Popcap has a bunch of games to choose from. Google + has a few games on it (but they are starting to disappear). Foxy Bingo has a variety of different versions of Bingo games for you to play. I’m sure there must be more examples of gaming sites that are not on Facebook.

I honestly believed I was through with the Facebook games forever. Somehow, I have been drawn back in. I find that when my mind needs a break, after writing several blogs in a row, I need something visual to “defrag” my brain. The Facebook games are my coffee break now. Yes, I have started playing Farmville again, and a couple of others, and a few games not made by Zynga. Everyone needs a virtual coffee break at least once a day.

Item 57 – Gore-bellied earth-vexing jolthead

Shawn — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 04:21:14 +0000

We went to the Renaissance Festival. I paid a woman to insult me.

The weekend before, we visited the world-famous Madonna Inn for our anniversary. We stayed in a very cave-like hotel room and had dinner in a very pink dining room.

We played some voicemails from Les. My concerns about Detroit being a Mad-Max like war zone have been verified! I’d still take Detroit over Waukegan, tho…

We received a package from Will Loomis. We opened it live on the podcast. It was jam-packed with Loomis And The Lust merch! Listen closely and learn how you can win a few Loomis discs for yourself!

Here’s the YouTube interview clip I mentioned during the podcast:

I’ve been spending a lot of time digging thru old documents. I found some old medical insurance claims and was surprised when I found out what they were for. Also, Jen’s infamous zero-dollar paycheck from Kohl’s.

We played a fine song by Loudtalkers.

We finished up the program with a story about a town in Alaska that has a cat for its mayor. And a plea for contributions to our Canadia trip fund.

Item 56 – Taxes, penalties and lawsuits

Shawn — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 01:15:33 +0000

Jen’s fighting off a sinus infection. But she got to use her (fairly) new health insurance for the first time. That lead to a long discussion of the Affordable Care Act and the upcoming presidential election.

I went to an Independence Day barbecue. It was fun. Also, maybe I should start drinking more?

Make a pledge to our Trip to Canadia Fund and get a postcard from Canadia!

We finished out the show by interviewing Will Loomis of the band Loomis & The Lust. Will recently filed a lawsuit against British pop star Jessie J. Will believes Jessie’s hit song “Domino” is a ripoff of his song “Bright Red Chords.” We discussed the lawsuit as well as the band’s new album and its new lineup. Then we played the title track from that album, “Sports Suck:”

Item 55 – Tuck!

Shawn — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 03:41:44 +0000

San Luis Obispo: rabid dogs EVERYWHERE.

Remembering the Taco Bell dog.

I have IDEAS. One of them involves suing the government. On a related note, I had to visit the local Social Security office, also known as the Black Hole of Joy.

Jen talked a lot about the Affordable Care Act. Also, idiots who want to move to Canadia.

We got our wall fixed and my allergies have improved. Jen’s just as sick as she ever was.

I wonder about finances and worrying about them and what’s “average.” Also, the $2.6M house I’m not looking up on Zillow in order to link to it.

I wonder about using Kickstarter to pay for a ~~house~~ recording studio.

Item 54 – 8,000 pounds of Spam

Shawn — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 05:59:18 +0000

Jen’s back! And she’s got her own theory on this whole DiC thing.

We played a voice mail from Les.

Then, we played a sound clip of Jen comparing her new headset to her old one. (Hear the new set on the latest episode of Inside My Head.)

We covered a story about an expensive Canadian pizza.

More complaints about the neighbors.

Jen read comments from David and Colin, which lead to a discussion about Diablo III, piracy and paying for podcasts.

Our Internet connection is still slow but we’re not switching to another provider. Yet.

We read a story (and played some audio) about how Metallica is trying to help catch a murderer.

That was followed by a story about how a hitchhiking writer was shot in Montana. (He’s writing a book about “kindness in America.”)

Jen read some e-mails of questionable origin. (Hear Jen utter the phrase, “I’m always wanna have sex!”)

Then, we closed out the show with some audio of a Korean teacher who can’t quite pronounce the word “Coke.”

Item 53 – Sleepy boos land

Shawn — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 18:46:39 +0000

Jen’s asleep. So it’s a solo show.

More complaints about the neighbors.

Nathan got us a mention on The Morning Stream podcast!

I tried finding someone to join in via Skype. It didn’t work.

DiC(k)!

It’s been windy. And allergy-y.

I played a song by Tycho.

I put out a call on Twitter to see if anyone wanted to join the show via Skype. No one did. Then, I talked a little about guitar stuff.

Item 53 – Jen’s gluten-free birthday cake

Shawn — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 03:16:28 +0000

We made a gluten-free cake for Jen’s birthday.

Item 52 – Solvang sausagefest

Shawn — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 05:31:54 +0000

Last week was Jen’s birthday. We baked her a gluten-free birthday cake and went on a trip to Solvang. Listen now and hear all of the fun details!

Click here for more photos from our Solvang trip.

Item 51 – Infected guac

Shawn — Sun, 27 May 2012 20:03:23 +0000

It’s another high-energy Sunday morning solo show.

I played a voicemail from Nathan and talked about some of the other feedback we received for our last episode.

I’m not getting health insurance anytime soon. In related news, our homeowners insurance said our roof needs to be certified. Even tho the inspector from the insurance company said it looked fine when he inspected it.

I’m a tad bit obsessed with Variax guitars. (Here‘s the video I played during the podcast.)

Our heater isn’t working and it’s almost summer. Damn.

item 50 – Remix!

Shawn — Sun, 20 May 2012 08:27:56 +0000

I don’t know why, but I went into a whole thing about the broadcasting school I went to years ago, and how I eventually got a (short-lived) job at a radio station.

Jen recently guested on the Girls Gone WoW and Obscurecast podcasts where she talked about video games with a bunch of other nerds.

Jen’s birthday is coming up.

I’m a little obsessed with the Digitech iPB10 pedalboard. It integrates with iPad and is REALLY COOL.

We had an interesting time trying to play Diablo III on launch night.

Our Internet experience at home is super slow and kinda sucky and we want to know what to do to make it better.

And no announcements at the end of the show but this summer is gonna be the Summer of Truth for GeminiDragon. Will the podcast still be here in the fall?

Item 49 – Chilatin

Shawn — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 07:59:35 +0000

Weather and water damage
Angry post office lady
Jen has health insurance!
What’s GeminiDragon worth on Kickstarter?
Listen to the podcast on Stitcher
“Hot Problems”

Item 48 – The cutest disabilities

Shawn — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 05:14:54 +0000

We’re holding a contest where you can help us design the new banner for our website! Download the current banner here and then add something relevant to our show in the space next to the dragon logo. Our favorite banner(s) will be added to the website!

Show notes:

Updating our website
Crazy people at Starbucks
Update on stuff that came over the fence
Some people need to be assigned person assistants in order to live in the world
Syrian’s president used 12345 as his e-mail password
Donkey punch:

Item 47 – Ball trajectory

Shawn — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:01:39 +0000

A solo show.

We don’t like where we live anymore and we want to move. Also, an update on the eBay guitar situation.

Item 46 – Irish latte

Shawn — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 01:05:24 +0000

Jen made herself a special drink for St. Patrick’s Day!

Background music by Murder The Stout.

Item 45 – Bender 2012

Shawn — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 19:34:12 +0000

The horror of curly-cord headphones
Voice mail from Nathan
Jen’s participating in National 10-Haiku-Per-Day Month and so can you
Jen is also now writing for Geek News Central
An update on that guitar I bought on eBay
Madonna and M.I.A. at the Super Bowl, no sympathy for Chris Brown, some thoughts on the deaths of Whitney Houston and Davy Jones
Dude has an actual heart attack at Heart Attack Grill, cartoon robot Bender wins hacked election, dating sites “accidentally” used an image of a dead soldier in some of their ads
Music by Evil Scarecrow
Feedback, e-mail, like us on Facebook

Item 44 – Flickr Song

Shawn — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 22:03:53 +0000

Jen likes to make things when she’s not feeling well. She woke up today with a terrible case of the allergies. Since she couldn’t sleep, she decided to make a video to help take her mind off of her sinus-induced suffering. Hence, this video set to Jonathon Coulton’s “Flickr Song.”

All of the photos in the video have been used under Creative Commons. Even so, Jen compiled a complete list of the photos she used because I guess she likes giving people credit. So, here’s the list: jewels g, Hugo Chisholm, David James Ovens, Wolfgang Staudt, L.C. Nøttaasen, Eric Schmuttenmaer, Mike Baird, Maarten Takens, uzi978, Drregor, jdun87, Daniel Reichert, Charles Pence, Living in Monrovia, Sean Hobson, RiverRatt3, matchity, BrentDPayne, El Caganer, ed and eddie, Alan Light, fortherock, playlight55, zoetnet, Joelk75, HerryLawford, Flabber DeGasky, Sonja Pieper, Mark Tighe, Les Chatfield, secretpilgrim, Eamon Curry, Shyn Darkly, Mykl Roventine, Marshall Astor, cjc4454, S. MiRK, lazertagrocks@flickr, CB and GK, vincentsl, perry_marco, Jeff Weese, DawnOne, Sabrina Dent, Jake Metcalf, sylvar.

Item 43 – Fresh and easy!

Shawn — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:10:58 +0000

We went to a new grocery store last weekend. I’m keeping track of my blood pressure with help from my many Apple devices. I’m taking guitar lessons. Also, I have psychological issues. We tried covering a story about pig decals on cop cars. But it didn’t work. I bought a new guitar. It has problems. We played a cool song by Peter Block. Then, how breasts save lives.

Item 42 – Stalking or journalism?

Shawn — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:18:37 +0000

More audience failure regarding our Facebook page. Speaking of the Facesbook, we got a scoop on our page about the future (?) of the Intellectually Shallow show. We talked about a local production we saw of Avenue Q. I filed our taxes last week. In related news, here’s our tip jar. Jen read a story about a peanut-butter/chocolate covered burglar. I read an article about huge Chinese billboards that used images of Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and President Obama. Jen went over a story about how meetings make you dumb. We played a cool alt-country flavored track by Genevieve Maynard and the Tallboys. Then, we finished up this episode with some listener feedback.

Item 41 – Phantom Power Media studio v 5.0 tour

Shawn — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:19:46 +0000

We made this video after recording item 40. The podcast where I talked about setting up the iMac is here.

Item 40 – Nugget habit

Shawn — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:58:28 +0000

Today’s show began with an obligatory update on our new Facebook page. To summarize: Our audience has failed us AGAIN. Tic-Tac’s – only two calories! All other breath mints = way too complicated. Jen read a story about a mayor who had many tacos delivered to him. Along with a followup about a resigning police chief. Then I wondered if podcasting with wet hair would cause you to catch pneumonia (and/or WINTER’S DISEASE!). We looked at a story about a girl who was hospitalized after eating chicken nuggets every day for her entire life. From there, we found out that New Jersey governor Chris Christie has a “different” take on names of endearment. We played a rockin’ track by Thunder Driver. Then we finished things out with a list of Star Trek deleted scenes.

Item 39 – Licensed to ‘cast

Shawn — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:58:34 +0000

Podcasting licenses! We got ‘em? Our new Facebook page is here! You best be liking it. (Also, Jen is not pregnant.) Tho, you may want to get on that before Anonymous shuts Facebook down. We talked about this Paula Dean news you’ve all heard about and we don’t need to link to (especially since Jen decided to play Diablo 3 instead of sending me the link for the show notes). Some dudes in Texas made their own AT&T truck so they could use it to deliver pot. Then it was time for some pokey-pokey talk. That’s pretty much it. Except for our Facebook page. Don’t forget about that.

Item 38 – Year of the GeminiDragon

Shawn — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:12:05 +0000

We’re back! With our first podcast in Phantom Power Media studio 5.0. I’m mad at software nerds (amongst others, including Twitter!). We drove this SOPA thing into the ground. Then, we talked about the ferocious new dragon stamp that’s (apparently) too scary for Chinese New Year.

Item 37 – Pole Position 2011

Shawn — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:07:42 +0000

On New Years Eve, Jen and I took a drive down Highway 227 from San Luis Obispo to Arroyo Grande. And we made a video of that drive.

Item 36 – Desktron

Shawn — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 00:54:57 +0000

Our studio is still in a bit of a transitional phase right now. But we still recorded a podcast, just like we said we would. Today’s episode is powered by listener comments. Thanks to Nathan, Colin, David, Laura and yarnspinner for their feedback. Here’s the list of for-sale items I mentioned towards the end of the show:

iRiver
Giant Squid microphone
XBox 360
Tascam FW-1884 mixer
Canon camcorder
Gemini direct drive turntable
Radio Shack integrated stereo amplifier
newerTech 250 GB external hard drive/usb (and firewire) hub

e-Mail us if you’re interested in purchasing any of these items.

Item 35 – Occupy waveforms

Shawn — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 04:19:36 +0000

if we did more shownotes, we’d have better SEO. But who cares about SEO?

The thing Jen and I recorded last week is here.

We want to escape the trailer park. You can help!

Item 34 – Never ending bag of fries

Shawn — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 05:58:14 +0000

As promised, here’s the recap of our recent trip to Chicago.

Item 33 – Why so serious?

Shawn — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 02:40:17 +0000

No album art again this time. Think of it as an aesthetic choice.

Health insurance. We don’t have it. But thanks to Planned Parenthood, we won’t be makin’ no trailer park babies anytime in the next three years. Wooooo 2011!

Please help us make shows by adding stuff to this Google document created by Nathan.

We played a song towards the end by Cable35.

Item 32 – Sundae Friday

Shawn — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 05:56:18 +0000

I’m too tired to make real shownotes and I asked Twitter to make me some album art but Twitter failed. So, there’s no album art. And you can blame Twitter for that.

The song at the end of the show is called “Sunny Day” by Somnistatic. You can hear more songs (and even buy some!) at the Somnistatic Bandcamp page.

Item 31 – For Ben

Shawn — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 02:37:38 +0000

Two items in one month. It’s like two for the price of one. Double your value. That’s how we roll. We covered the video we released as item 30. Friend of the show Ben in Australia is going through a rough time right now. He let us know through Twitter how much he appreciated listening to our show. That’s why this item is dedicated to him. Ben was a guest on our old show, and that made me wonder if we should revive our old show? (Where the hell is the Daves Caldberank, already?!?!?!) We talked about how our upcoming trip to Chicago has been booked and that most of the logistics have been worked out. I brought up my latest scheme to finance the purchase of an iPad. Jen’s been sick. We talked about why. Then, we played (edited in) a song we recorded a few years ago. After that, it was pretty much all over.

Item 30 – Toaster quest

Shawn — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 03:56:04 +0000

I killed our toaster. So we went on a quest to get a new one. Thanks to Colin for taking our raw footage and turning it into something watchable. Music heard in the video is by Dommin.

Item 29 – Under the wire

Shawn — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 04:56:57 +0000

We made this month’s podcast just under the wire. TV! Allergies! Music/podcasting projects! These are some of the fun things we discussed while recording this. Also, thanks to Nathan for making a donation last month.

Sites we mentioned towards the end:
Inside My Head
Halfway Around The World
Shawn’s blog

Item 28 – Super fly ho

Shawn — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 05:18:24 +0000

We promised you one podcast per month. Here it is for June. Consider your ears blessed. I don’t really wanna put together show notes right now. Which, if you think about it really, who cares anyway? Most people just download the episodes, listen once and then delete ‘em. And honestly if they can’t take the time to appreciate the effort that goes into writing a quality show summary then why should I even bother? Podcast listeners. What a bunch of no-respect having freeloaders. By the way, don’t forget to visit our tip jar. I mean, I know you won’t. Freeloader.

Item 27 – Hoarders bingo

Shawn — Tue, 24 May 2011 02:02:56 +0000

We’ve been gone for over two months but we come back strong with some on-air troubleshooting of the audio levels. We provide an explanation and some thoughts on why it’s been so long. I made an “official” announcement about my new personal website. We covered our great shed reorganization/yard sale of 2011. I briefly mentioned that I played an open mic in March. Then we talked a lot about TV shows we’ve been watching: “Hoarders,” “Hoarding: Buried Alive,” “Deadliest Catch,” and “Sister Wives.”

Item 26 – Magnificent member

Shawn — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 03:34:50 +0000

I’m not really in any mood to type up proper show notes. Here’s the digest version:

We enjoyed some St. Patrick’s Day booze during the show.
Feedback from Colin and Les.
Jen’s feeling better thanks to acupuncture treatments.
Heart Attack Grill dude dies.
AT&T is gonna put a cap on yo’ ass.
“BLESS YOU”
Courtney went to court(ney).
Battle over thin mint cookies in Florida.
Jim Morrison’s schlong has been pardoned.
Song by Talking To Walls.
Erk called on the Skypes.
Snugglebots.

Iten 25 – Filler

Shawn — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:12:53 +0000

We’re busy! So this week’s presentation is Jen-free. And possibly entertainment-free, as well. I gave an update on our studio liquidation contest (we have our first winner in the form of David!). I gave a few thoughts on the state of this whole tiger’s blood business. Then, I finished things out with a track by The Johnny Starlings.

Item 24 – Axl’s not gonna sue

Shawn — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 03:11:32 +0000

Buttons – how do they work? I was wondering at the start of today’s program. We responded to some feedback and talked about the .tv Internet extension. Jen answered a question about the long-awaited followup to her first book. (Also, this.) We reviewed the film Smash His Camera. We covered a story about how cell phones were found in the possession of Charles Manson. That was followed up bu a PRESUMABLY (!) non-related story about an office worker who croaked at her desk. Next, this:

Next we read a story about a Tennessee woman who was saved by her daily pizza habit. Following that, we discovered who Axl Rose is suing this week. Then we played a bouncy song by Fake Elegance. We recapped our exciting studio liquidation contest. Finally, we rounded out the program with the top 10 of the 50 greatest guitar riffs of all time.

Item 23 – Geminiraptor

Shawn — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:13:04 +0000

Another unlive presentation. The live ones will be back soon. Maybe. We responded to some feedback (thanks, David and yarnspinner!). We talked about how I filled in for a sick Colin on the most recent Halfway Around The World episode. We announced our first contest! We read an article about how the band Smashing Pumpkins’ new bassist is (allegedly) one of the girls on the band’s album from 1993. We discussed a story sent in by Nathan about a teacher who was fired because of her blog. We played some audio from the news reporter who had an on-air “malfunction” and gave our own thoughts. Then it was time for obligatory Bieber news. That was followed up with a song by JacksonsWarehouse. Then we read another story submitted by Nathan about a real Gemini dragon! We finished things up with an announcement of the 10-haiku-per-day project beginning next month.

Item 22 – Mammoth, deadly cock and Baals

Shawn — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 05:33:48 +0000

I was nursing a cough lolly at the start of the show due to an allergic reaction. We gave an update on Jen’s jury duty summons. Thanks to feedback from David, Rowley, Les, Nathan, Erk and Robert, the audience has unlocked the bribery badge. Well done, audience. Prizes coming soon! I made an officially unofficial announcement about the future of my blog. Also, domain-name conspiracy theories. Then we covered a story about an avenging cock. After that, we discussed how a survey shows that California is full of fat kids. From California to Indiana where they’ve got some serious Baals:

Scientists want to resurrect a mammoth. Using SCIENCE! Of course, no one knows why they want to do this. A woman in India was ripped off when it turned out her husband wasn’t a dude. We played a fine, fine song by The Hold Steady. We brought the whole thing home with an important question from WikiAnswers.

Item 21 – Abuse, threats and bribery

Shawn — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 03:14:12 +0000

We weren’t live again this week as we’re still working on some technical issues from the big studio move-around. It’s Super Bowl Sunday! And we don’t care. But we did talk about how I found an extra legal live stream of the last playoff game involving the Chicago Bears. That spun off into a discussion of a-la-carte media consumption. We updated the request made during our last show for comments from the audience. We read some feedback from Rowley and David. We went over the results of our highly interactive poll from last week. We read a story about a new marijuana-powered superhero. That was followed by us wondering if our hometown will begin to feel “the Oprah effect.” Then it was time for this:

Apparently, participating in social media may get you laid faster. First it was earthquakes. Now California may be annihilated by a superstorm. We played a jam by The Skelters. Finally, we finished up the program with an article about a cell-phone swallowing crocodile.

Item 20 – GeminiDraggin’

Shawn — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 04:02:03 +0000

It’s a gray and rainy Sunday, perfect for recording a lazy-day kinda non-live podcast. We announced Jen’s new podcast project and did some wondering about the validity of the show’s name. We picked up some sandwiches earlier in the day from Subway. Jen thinks it was more than just her sandwich that was “toasted.” We joined the Internet pile-on over the “new” Zodiac signs and wondered if GeminiDragon may now be in need of a name change. We covered a story about a new law prohibiting Internet impersonators. Then we moved on to how hackers celebrated Kim Jong-Un’s birthday by hacking North Korean Twitter and YouTube accounts. We followed that up with a cool song by The Famous. We wrapped up the program with a top-ten list of addictive sounds. Don’t forget to vote in our highly interactive poll:

Item 19 – Knee deep in Skype Lady

Shawn — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 06:23:06 +0000

If a live show happens and no one hears it, did it really happen? Thanks to podcasting – yes! We started this show off by talking about our good friend the Skype Lady. That lead in to a story about our trip to the local Apple Store where Jen gobsmacked the Apple Guy with a “software” question. Calling back to GeminiDragon 18, we placed a call to the “university program” that will hopefully get us masters degrees in three weeks. Jen read a story about a ludicrous Norwegian workplace policy that’s been implemented to make women more productive during that time of the month. Next, we made another callback to our last show in the form of this amazing song:

Mercifully, we moved from the song to a Yahoo! Answers question that received a universe-bending answer (with a reference to GeminiDragon 1). Then it was time for a cool song by The D-Matics. We finished out the program with a list of wacky pet names.

Item 18 – New Year’s funsplosion!

Shawn — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 03:49:33 +0000

We were live on New Year’s eve! We experienced the usual technical difficulties getting started. I wondered why it is that humans decided to have the year start in the middle of winter instead of the summer. We replied to questions that we received from Colin and Les. We discussed this year’s most-wanted gift cards. We paused to fix a minor technical problem with Jen’s headphones. Jen had a story about the Wikileaks guy’s OkCupid profile. Colin joined us via the Skypes. We ambushed him by asking him his predictions for 2011. Then we went over a list of the year’s worst songs. We had some fun reading spam messages. We went through a list of YouTube’s most-viewed videos of 2010. We played an appropriate song by Tin Pan. Since he wasn’t listening earlier, we also got to ambush Medros with his predictions for 2011. Then we finished up with a list of the top ten Twitter trends of 2010.

After that, there’s some special bonus audio from the live pre-show.

Item 17 – Fuckin’ Christmas medley

Shawn — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:28:08 +0000

We’re proud to present the first ever GeminiDragon Christmas single! Gather up the family this holiday season and enjoy this medley of classic yuletide tunes with a special GeminiDragon twist.

Watch/download the video below or you can also download the mp3 version of the song here.

Item 16 – You are winner

Shawn — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 07:08:24 +0000

It was a live event, where we wondered what people used to do on a Friday night before we all started doing Internet radio shows from home. I talked about my recent frustrations with iMovie and then we played part of a podcast I recorded that contained a special song I wrote for the occasion. We read off an odd spam comment along with some humorous Craigslist ads. We read over a story about South Korean pop stars who’ve finally caught up to American trends from ten years ago. Next, we covered an exciting contest where you can win an iPod! All you need to do is let the TSA grope you. Then it was time for some fun audio from an MSNBC producer’s meltdown:

Asthma or anxiety? Jen tries to figure it out. I gave the reasons why I’m glad to not be dating in the time of online social networks. We checked our progress so far in this year’s NaPodPoMo followed by a great song by Gina Livingston and a promo for Erk FM. We rounded out the program with a list of “useful” items from eHow.

Item 15 – Making priorities

Shawn — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 05:00:14 +0000

It was a live(ly?) time for this GeminiDragon presentation. In typical fashion, my microphone stand broke a few minutes before we began the show. We started off with some important announcements. We’re participating in NaPodPoMo this year and we’re also now syndicating over the old Airferg RSS feed. We provided a brief history of our exploits in podcasting. Then I explained why it’s been a few weeks since our last presentation. We debated on whether or not it’d be better to spend $840,000 on a home in downtown San Luis Obispo, or if it’d be better to purchase an entire quadrant of Oklahoma. We covered a story about a Las Vegas hotel that’s cooking its patrons with a death ray. We played some prank-name audio:

Then we discussed how a reality-show contestant is suing Simon Cowell for being mean! Then it was time for a song by Gidgets Ga-Ga. The show was finished up with a list of unusual celebrity-linked products.

Item 14 – More than multiple

Shawn — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:00:23 +0000

A continuation of sorts to GeminiDragon 13. We were still live, for better or worse (probably worse). Despite a valiant attempt to reboot the situation, technical issues continued. Thankfully, Colin called us on the Skypes to help out. Colin had just recently learned of GeminiDragon, and had some thoughts to share on topics from previous presentations. Some interesting observations on Insane Clown Posse’s “Miracles,” thanks to this article. Also, this Tom Green video:

We discussed the book Halting State, the movies The Last Starfighter and WarGames and how these franchises used video games for recruitment purposes. We had a brief interlude over the TV show “Chuck.” Then it was on to the band The La’s, and their classic album, which contains the classic song “There She Goes:”

The obvious comparison to Sixpence None The Richer was made, and it was decided that their version of “There She Goes” is actually pretty good. I mentioned how I also liked their song “Breathe Your Name.” (Matt joined us in the chat room.) Thanks to a consensus of one in our chatroom, I read a story about an orgasm video iPhone app.

Item 13 – Machine gun dreams

Shawn — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 05:54:41 +0000

Live, we were for this failtabulous edition of GeminiDragon. I talked about how I pulled a muscle earlier this week, and how it lead to me having a strange drug-fueled dream about a machine-gun wielding kid. Then we played a voice mail from Nathan.
The original “Unchained Melody” by Todd Duncan:

The Righteous Brothers version:

I’ve gotta agree with Nathan on this one. What do you think? I was having headphone issues. I put out a request for Skype calls. We got one from Medros. Nerdery ensued, including World of Warcraft talk. Then I did some on-air troubleshooting with Skype. We did some climate comparisons between California and Winterpeg. Judy joined us in the live chat. Then, due to the many problems we had encountered, I decided to take a break and reboot the show. Look out for the exciting continuation when GeminiDragon 14 is released next week. (Also, Colin stopped by towards the end.)

Item 12 – It’s a microwave!

Shawn — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:46:42 +0000

We celebrated 10/10/10 the only way we know how. With a GeminiDragon live presentation. We gave ourselves some retroactive horn action. Then we talked about our new microwave. We read a story about a dude in Florida who has the same name as singer Justin Bieber. After that we found out why the place where we live is (apparently) the happiest place in America. Next, we played an important public service announcement:

As promised during item eleventeen, we tapped the Katy Perryosphere to find out why she didn’t make it on to “Sesame Street.” Is the clip really too much for the kids show?

We enjoyed a cool song by the band Sand River. Then, we did some work on a special song of our own. Finally, we wrapped everything up with a list of the top songs that make dudes cry. (Thanks to Nathan and Druey for joining us in the live chat towards the end of the show.)

Item eleventeen – Retromantic

Shawn — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 05:34:16 +0000

We were once again live for GeminiDragon eleventeen. We started things off by congratulating ourselves for continuing to stick to our production schedule. I talked about how I had discovered that former MTV headbanger Riki Rachtman is on Twitter. Apparently, he’s lost a parrot, which sparked a discussion about lost pets. Specifically, lost-pet fliers. I shared an idea for a new business venture that would probably be the most successful thing ever. Then, we examined a story about a heroic dog who saved its owner by eating the owner’s toe. We wondered if the Beach Boys may indeed take Katy Perry to court. The people at your local porn studio would like you to stop illegally downloading their product:

In what might be history’s greatest segue, we talked about how romantic music might help you to get more dates. I compared Debbie Does Dallas to Citizen Kane in terms of historical importance. Apparently, Kim Kardashian doesn’t want her fans to look like her. Then we played a song by Nuel, which Jen back sold by going into Inside My Head mode. We finally had our first listener to the live presentation in the form of Lou (thanks, Lou!). We finished things out with a list of albums that turn 20 years old in 2010.

Item 10 – The authentic Likes

Shawn — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 19:52:42 +0000

GeminiDragon 10 was live a couple days ago. I needed a cough drop, so I got one. Meanwhile, Jen “entertained” y’all by narrating the whole thing. Jen read a comment that David left in response to GeminiDragon 9. Then we discussed how the corn syrup industry would like to rename its product. We celebrated the arrival of the vuvuzela in the Oxford dictionary. Apparently, the Danes weren’t very happy with Whitney Houston this summer. You decide:

Some amusement-park thingie run by Coca-Cola connected its customers directly to Facebook via it’s “Like Machine.” Jen thinks this is lame. I just want to get to the authentic Likes. We heard my favorite song by (sorta) local band The Shamblers, who recently played a (sorta) reunion show that we attended. Drunken stupidity stories. We got ‘em. We finish things up with a partial list of celebrity-types who’ll be turning 40 next year.

Item 9 – All kinds of FAIL

Shawn — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:03:24 +0000

GeminiDragon 9 was live on uStream yesterday. We started off this audio presentation with an on-air production meeting where we tried to nail down a specific window of time wherein we will “summons the dragon” for future productions. I wondered at what point an unattended yard sale turns into a giveaway. We played our new Horns of Fail, courtesy of Nathan. We played a “prank” (?) voice mail. We covered a news story about a Krispy Kreme that accidentally gave a customer $5,000 instead of a box of donuts. That was followed by a description of a shitty Kings Of Leon show. Ever wonder what drunken Irish students like to throw into swimming pools and washing machines? Neither did we. But now we know. Then it was time for an impromptu mashup that included this:

To cleanse the earbud palate, we played a fine song by Loomis And The Lust:

We wrapped up the show with the results of a poll that found the worst band name in New York City, and the poll’s followup challenge.

Item 8 – War of sound bonus!

Shawn — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 05:50:56 +0000

Today’s bonus audio presentation is a continuation of the show we released earlier this week. Erk and Judy joined us, as did Matt. (Ben joined us in the chat room for a little while, too.) There’s no reason to describe this audio, because it really defies description.

Item 7 – Age is a choice

Shawn — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:11:39 +0000

It’s my birthday! A time for cake. And also time for another GeminiDragon audio presentation. Jen’s sick. But that’s nothing new. I play a personalized song created for me specifically by Pepsi. Only me. No one else got this birthday message. You want vuvuzelas? No one wants vuvuzelas, son. Well, we got vuvuzelas a plenty. We discussed the nature of age and dreams and discovered that age is a choice. (My current age = 12.) Jen read a comment David left for our last program. Also, vuvuzelas. I guest produced All Things Azeroth 201, and I talked about my experiences thus far in World of Warcraft. Matt joined us in the chat as we covered how a 4chan prank could send pop singer Justin Bieber to North Korea. Then we talked about what might happen if Proposition 19 passes in November. Next, we played some audio comparing one song to another, because some old folkie is suing Led Zeppelin, claiming they stole his song. We took a break with a special song by Ken Turetzky. I played it ’cause it’s my birthday and I play what I want on my birthday! We took another stab at our new segment called “Which Is Real?” where Jen is presented with two ridiculous headlines, and has to determine which one is real. Then we engaged in some Skype antics with Erk and Judy (as well as Matt). Finally, we tried closing things out with a partial list of the worst lyrics from the latest Christina Aguielera album.

Look forward to a bonus GeminiDragon audio presentation later this week, comprised of after-show zaniness.

Item 6 – Gizmos and doodads

Shawn — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 02:18:35 +0000

We celebrated America Day the only way we know how. We recorded a GeminiDragon audio presentation. We were live at the time. (Harold stopped by for a bit. Thanks, Harold.) We wondered how Disney got itself involved in a Gummi Bears cartoon show. We talked about the magical/revolutionary iPad and how a Chinese company is making cheap knockoffs. I’m now playing World of Warcraft, and we discussed a somewhat related story about online shoppers unknowingly giving up control of their souls. I played a a miraculous jam that’s tearing up the Internetz. Then it was time for some serious iPhone vuvuzela action. We played a new segment called “Which Is Real?” where Jen was faced with two different but equally absurd headlines, and had to figure out which one was real. Then we heard a cool song by A Band Called Quinn. The band is storming the charts, similar to what Rage Against The Machine did last year. Buy the song and support their efforts. Things finished up with an important story about actress Anna Paquin.

Item 5 – Triple meat bonus!

Shawn — Thu, 27 May 2010 00:50:52 +0000

It’s a bonus audio presentation! This item is a continuation of GeminiDragon item 4. Further confirming that we’re still figuring out the new studio configuration, I taught myself how to use Skype while my chair creaked a lot. We got our first Skype call from our pal Medros. We also got a conversation request from what was likely a spambot. We talked about how I edit a World of Warcraft-related podcast even though I don’t actually play the game. Massive geekyness (is that a word?) ensued from there. (Also: lowbrow jokes about Subway footlong sandwiches.)

Item 4 – PPM BS is on the air

Shawn — Sun, 23 May 2010 17:59:33 +0000

We’re live! Well, we were when we recorded this GeminiDragon item. It was a bit of an impromptu affair. But our friends Medros, Lou, Nathan, Druey and Ben all showed up to join us. As I mentioned during the recording, we’re still soft launching this new project, and this is more of a test recording than anything else. Still, we managed to have another conversation about Subway. We also talked about my new guitar amp, its problems and my experience so far in dealing with the company that sold it to me. We also covered the TV show “Deadliest Catch” and wondered why it is that these guys continue to risk their lives fishing when they could just take their money and go to college, already. We heard a nice voice mail from Robert. Then there’s a cool song by Lizards From Afar that I heard earlier in the day on DarkCompass. We will be releasing some more audio from this session later in the week.

So, what’s your favorite Subway sandwich? Also, see the photos we took during this recording here.

Item 3 – This one doesn’t count

Shawn — Sun, 16 May 2010 04:29:38 +0000

Me and Jen spent some time talking about our new project and its website. Then we psycho analyzed my anxiety in relation to the Subway sandwich chain.

Item 2 – The new yPad!

Shawn — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 00:34:21 +0000

We were hired by yApple to make this promo video for the magical and revolutionary new yPad.

Item 1 – How to fill out the 2010 Census form

Shawn — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:05:02 +0000

Here’s a video we made to help you fill out your 2010 Census form.