Crowdfunding Picks for the Week of August 28th, 2013

If you spot a Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or other pre-order campaign that seems awesome (of if YOU have a crowdfunding project), to be considered for a shout out, feel free to tweet at @webcastbeacon, or send a Press Release. You can also check out our new Frequently Asked Questions page to find out more about sending in promotional materials. Still, understand that we may not respond to or use things sent to us. But we are at least opening things up, officially, to try and plug things.

Lots of WCBN friends’ Kickstarters this time! Not sure how often these posts will continue.

The Choosatron: Interactive Fiction Arcade Machine
by Jerry Belich

The System: Comics Will Be Published Until Morale Improves
by Rosscott

Spacetrawler Book Three
by Christopher Baldwin

Clique Refresh
by Amy T. Falcone

YU+ME Complete Series Omnibi
by Megan Rose Gedris

The Hues: a Post-Apocalyptic Magical Kickstarter!
by Alex Heberling

The Geek Life #205: “Title Goes Here :)” – Discussions of News on an Apple Lawsuit, Xbox Marketing, The Kremlin, and more!

Watch the Google+ Hangout recording of the show, or listen to the podcast below!

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The Geek Life is an affiliate of the WCBN.
► Visit the homepage for their podcast.

► Visit this episode’s post on their website for more discussion.

Notes:
For the summer we’re going to move to an every-other week schedule for a bit as an experiment. Let us know what you think!

  • Video releases
  • Lightning Round
    • Nintento Famicon turns 30, better known in the US as the Nintendo Entertainment System
    • You gotta be kidding me: A Nashville TN man has sued Apple because the Safari browser allows him to view porn (I guess that whole personal responsibility thing is for other people)
    • The Kremlin is going back to typewriters to prevent security leaks. Seriously. Moscow Times said so.
    • Apparently Microsoft is also trying to sell XBox One to businesses as a cheap video conference solution with Skype integration, Office 365 web apps, and the ability to stream from a tablet to the box.
    • PC sales have declined 5 quarters in a row according to IDC and Gartner, down 10-12%
    • Nokia announced the Lumia 1080, which is really just the 920 with…wait for it…a 41 MEGAPIXEL camera, with app that allows manual adjustment of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed
    • You can’t make this up: July 2nd launch of Proton-M rocket carrying three satelites for the GLONASS Navigation system (Russian GPS) crashed after 6-1/2 minutes of flight because “critical angular velocity sensors, DUS, installed upside down”
    • Surface RT prices drop: $349 for 32gb, $449 for 64gb model, not including cover. Permanent, or clearing inventory?
    • Acer, one of the few PC makers that actually sold Windows machines with Thunderbolt ports, is ditching them for USB 3
    • Here’s a 3D scanning program for OS X…that uses the Kinect? (link)
    • Apple has released Logic Pro X, same price as 9 at $199, in the Mac App Store. Sounds like they learned from FInal Cut Pro X, no missing features reported
  • Headaches for the mega-blockbuster
  • Hyperloop – what the heck is Musk on about this time? (link1) (link2)

www.TheGeekLife.tv

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Comic of the Week: Kiwi Blitz by Mary Cagle

Kiwi Blitz
by Mary Cagle

Comic of the Week picked by: @fesworks

Kiwi Blitz is set in a world where people fight in mecha-animal battle competitions, and androids are somewhat common. Amongst this is Steffi, a mecha combatant that decides to take up vigilantism one day. And she’s just a kid! If there is anything I can say about this, is that it’s main character is fricken cute! I can blame the artistic style of this comic for it’s “sorta-chibi-mixed-with-muppets” look, but Steffi is also written so damn adorably! I really love Mary’s art style!

There’s a supporting cast that has some fun character dynamics, and it is really fun to watch these play out. Though the real storylines come from mostly what Steffi runs into when she is “Blitz”, and the current storyline is getting heavy into what feels like is going to be plot that will keep coming back for more in the future.

There is certainly a sense of structure to the storylines, but the plot storytelling doesn’t feel as strong as the art or the character dynamics. Still very fun comic!

Comic Website | WebcomicZ Entry
SFW*: Violence. Vigilantism.

KiwiBlitz

 * MORE ON RATINGS

Webcomic Beacon #352: Talkin’ ’bout Comic Reading Apps… Again.

Gordon McAlpin (Multiplex) joins Kittyhawk, Ben Carver, and Fes Works for a discussion on reading comics on a mobile device. There is discussion of Apps, Comic Readers, and plain ‘ol PDFs. we also talk about Gordon’s new comic app for reading his comic, Multiplex. Many thanks to Gordon’s patience (so go check out his comic and app!)

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Notes: Kittyhawk’s SGVY App Game, Gordon’s Multiplex App,

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Comic of the Week: Yellow Peril by Jamie Noguchi

Yellow Peril
by Jamie Noguchi

Comic of the Week picked by: @fesworks

This is a comic I should have picked up MUCH earlier than I had. It’s a black and white comic, with what I think may be ink wash and pencils for contrast. B&W comics are always a bit difficult for me to visually get into, but the art is frequently expressive and the contrasting works very well. I have not read the whole archive, but I’ve been enjoying and reading it ever since I started.

The comic itself, at least in the more recent years, is focused on three web and digital designers/artists: Kane, Bodie, and Ally. They have been under “the man” in their corporate job, and… this could be SPOILERS if you want to start from the beginning, but they finally are branching out on their own business venture together. Much of the comic focuses on character dynamics and interactions. Good mix of drama and comedy, though I’m not one for drama as much, so those parts can wear on me a bit. But really, hardly any complaints from me with this comic.

The characters are are well defined, even with me not knowing much of the comic’s archive. They were a great sticking point for me in continuing to read this comic.

Comic Website | WebcomicZ Entry
SFW*: Contains fair amount of cursing. Occasional suggestions of, or partial nudity.

YellowPeril

 * MORE ON RATINGS

Jenny Everywhere Day 2013 – Get Those Submissions In!

From Benj Chrsitensen, whom of which runs the Jenny Everywhere Day website:

Well it’s August and that means it’s time to get serious about this year’s Jenny Everywhere Day event!

The event is August 13th which is a Monday. This will be the forth year of the event. In 2009 we had 9 submissions, 2010 saw 14 submissions, and 2011 had 19 submissions. If early feedback is
any indication we’re on track for another great year.

As with years past a submission is appreciated, but the real purpose of the event is to spread the word about Jenny Everywhere and try to inspire people that may not have heard of her. So please, tell your creative-type friends about the character and the event. Direct them to JennyEverywhereDay.com, as well as The Shifter Archive for more information about her.

As always I appreciate any efforts you can put forth and I completely understand if you’re busy with other pursuits.

While a submission is greatly appreciated, the real purpose of the event is to spread the word about Jenny Everywhere and try to inspire people that may not have heard of her to take a look. So please, tell your creative friends about the character and the event. Tell any media outlets you feel would be willing to cover this story.

Again, you can find a TON of information about Jenny Everywhere at JennyEverywhere.net and at TheShifterArchive.com! Also, for extra flavoring, you can check out the Jenny Everywhere Tumblr for periodic posts, focusing on creators and content from over the years!

Webcomic Beacon #351: Comic News & Discussion for July 14th, 2013

Monty Rhode, Kittyhawk, Ben Carver, and Fes Works for another week of comic news & discussion! We argue again about Kickstarters as well look at one from Alan Moore. We are largely discuss scandals with a founder of Dragon*Con (and what the con ultimately did to get rid of him), and a look at accusations against the founder of Anime Midwest and many other anime cons in the midwest.

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Dragon*Con co-founder, Edward Kramer finally removed from the convention as it rebrands.
Edward Kramer was receiving profits from Dragon*Con to keep him out of jail and facing trial for accusations of being in the company of underage boys. The board has been trying for years to buy him out for years, as protest and boycotts of the con have mounting. Now they are rebranding as Dragon Con, and will not have Kramer part of the convention any more. (Bleeding Cool)

Founder and operator of Anime Midwest, Anime-Zing! (and other conventions) accused of rape.
A tumblr post with over 10,000 notes and a deleted original post, includes 3 pages of a scanned Iowa Davenport Police Report. It accused the convention runner Ryan Kopf with raping a subordinate at one of the conventions he runs. It is confirmed to be an authentic police report, but the victim has not pressed charges. (Detailed analysis here)

Jenny Everywhere Day – August 13, 2013
It’s Jenny Everywhere’s 12th Birthday! Submit art and comics now, for the showcase in mid-August!

Alan Moore Bickstarter
Alan Moore has successfully financed the final three shorts of his series Jimmy’s End through Kickstarter.    Believes the revolution will be crowd funded. (Salon.com, The Gaurdian)

Ender’s game boycott
While the creator Orson Scott Card is a bigot, Lionsgate, the studio, is begging people to come see the movie on its merits, not its creator. It is very hard sometimes to separate the creator from the story. However, the studio probably is only doing this for money (Comic Book Resources.)

ZICS
Yay! Local con! (For Australia) (pozible.com)

Follow-Up Articles

Charles Carreon Pays Up
Remember that guy who sued The Oatmeal for Funny Junk? We never actually heard the end of that on the show (mainly because Eric stepped down and we didn’t keep up on it. But here’s what happened in April 2013 (Ars Technica)

Mentioned on the show: Red Bubble

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Crowdfunding Picks for the Week of July 14th, 2013

Continuing with the experiment, we’re taking a look at a few more crowdfunding projects. Again, we mainly are picking projects we personally find interesting, or think that our audience would find interesting that…:

  • Could really use a boost.
  • We’d really like to see funded.
  • Are not already funded (at time of pick).
  • Are spectacular picks with great stretch goals.
  • Friends of the Webcast Beacon Network or Affiliates. (Yes, Bias.)

If you spot a Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or other pre-order campaign that seems awesome (of if YOU have a crowdfunding project), to be considered for a shout out, feel free to tweet at @webcastbeacon, or send a Press Release. You can also check out our new Frequently Asked Questions page to find out more about sending in promotional materials. Still, understand that we may not respond to or use things sent to us. But we are at least opening things up, officially, to try and plug things.

Well, we will probably look at doing these at least once a month, or every other week. Anyway, let’s take a look at a few more picks:

1000: The Animated Micro Series
by Sanford Greene

World War Kaiju: Graphic Novel
by Team Kaiju

Untitled Web Series About A Space Traveler
Who Can Also Travel Through Time (Season 2)
by The Inspector

Adventures of Victoria Clarke
by Ken Wallace Films, LLC

Sufficiently Remarkable
by Maki Naro

EpiGuide’s EpiCast #13 – “Running Long”

This supersized EpiCast (the title has a double meaning!) has plenty of everything: recaps of the latest webserial installments, news about several returning webserials, a response to some listener feedback, and the massive main course in this feast: a discussion about long-running webserials and just how one can create–and maintain–a serial that has staying power.

Hosts Kira (yours truly) and Michael start things off with summaries and bickering–all in good fun, of course. Learn what happened on a variety of webfiction serials over the past month, and find out why pronouns can make the difference between a standard sleazy politician’s ploy and a storyline straight out of a V.C. Andrews novel.

Next we offer a quick look at the news, which includes some returning serials (a few that have only been gone a couple of months, while another is making a resurrection from a years-long absence) and an announcement of a chat devoted to serialized tales.

And as promised, we embark on an extensive, in-depth discussion about some of the longest-running webserials, with plenty of advice from their authors, a varied group that represents a combined total of more than fifty years of serialized fiction experience! Interested in learning how to writers ensure their plots and characters have such phenomenal staying power? Get comfortable because we’ve got a ton of tips and tricks, as well as commentary from our hosts (who alone have thirty years’ experience behind ’em).

Of course, we end with our sincere thanks to our sponsors and a teaser of our next episode, which will be posted in less than a week!

Once you’ve listened, hop on over to our Podbean site, the EpiGuide forum, or our new Webcast Beacon site (links below) to share your own thoughts on these topics and this episode. Many thanks to everyone who helped out by submitting your recaps and news stories!

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EpiGuide is an affiliate of the WCBN.
► Visit the homepage for their podcast.
► Visit the EpiGuide’s Forum for discussion for this episode.

Episode Notes:

Recording date: This episode was recorded in two sessions on June 10 and July 14, 2013.

Rundown:

  • 00:00 – 01:28: Opening pleasantries and teasers for the episode ahead
  • 01:29 – 20:23: Webserial recaps and commentaries
  • 20:24 – 25:07: Editorial / Response to listener feedback
  • 25:08 – 30:37: Webfiction and webserial news
  • 30:38 – 01:18:30: Discussion: Creating webserials that pass the test of time
  • 01:18:31 – 01:20: Thanks to sponsors, closing thoughts and fare-thee-wells

Links to the sites mentioned in this episode:

Music credits: “Dance, Soterios Johnson, Dance” (EpiCast opening and closing theme), “Not About You” (Recaps intro), “So Far, So Good” (Recaps ending music), “Good Morning Tuscon” (News intro), “Just as Long as Me” (Discussion theme), “Take Care of Me” (EpiCast sponsor theme), as always all written and performed by Jonathan Coulton, host Kira Lerner’s personal musical demigod.

These tracks are licensed Creative Commons by-nc.

Technical notes: We used Skype for the conversation and interviews, Replay Recorder for recording, Audacity and The Levelator for editing/post-recording fine-tuning, and Podbean for hosting.

If you have any suggestions, questions, comments or brickbats you want to throw at us regarding this episode, please let us know!

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The Geek Life #204: “Now Show Me Where The Yoga Berries Touched You”

Here you go, our live episode recorded at CONvergence 2013. Enjoy!

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The Geek Life is an affiliate of the WCBN.
► Visit the homepage for their podcast.
► Visit this episode’s post on their website for more discussion.

For the summer we’re going to move to an every-other week schedule for a bit as an experiment. Let us know what you think! Our next regular recording will be Tuesday, July 16. We’ll be on a live Google+ Hangout starting at 8pm Central Time. You can follow us on Twitter with the hashtag #thegeeklivetv.

www.TheGeekLife.tv

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