Episode 54 – Dark Ambient and Minor Death Gods

This week Kelly brings you the ambient music of Brian Eno and Mel talks Necromancy.

Kelly’s Recommendation:

OnLand

Music: Brian Eno’s Ambient 4- On Land

  • After leaving Roxy Music (he and Brian Ferry did not hit it off), Brain Eno created solo albums, produced albums, and collaborated with and ton of artists from Andy Summers of the Police to Robert Fripp of King Crimson… most importantly, he put out four “ambient” albums.
  • He described the ambient series as “As ignorable as it is interesting”.
  • Ambient 4 – On Land is his “dark ambient” album, which sounds totally cool.
  • Did you know that Brian composed the Windows 95 tone? He made 85 different versions!  He calls it “his most popular piece of music”.
  • Brian produced and performed on three albums by Talking Heads, including Remain in Light, and produced multiple albums for U2, including The Joshua Tree.
  • You can listen to all of the Ambient series (Music for Airports, The Plateaux of Mirror, Day of Radiance, and On Land) on YouTube; On Land is below. Or here’s Spotify if you prefer.
  • Eno is Kelly’s favorite “album titler” for gems such as: Here Come the Warm Jets, Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, Lady June’s Linguistic Leprosy, Small Craft on a Milk Sea, and Panic of Looking.
  • Brains current work involves the blending of audio and video via 77 Million Paintings and a concept he calls “Generative Music”  (bonus link: make your own generative music!)
  • “I guess I’m a Dark Ambient guy.” ~Kelly Thul

 

 

Mel’s Recommendation:

EricCarter

Books: The Eric Carter series by Stephen Blackmoore

  • Necromancy, Minor Death Gods, Crazy Death Goddesses: Eric Carter is not having a good day.
  • There are 2 books so far in this series, Dead Things and Broken Souls
  • Eric Carter is a Necromancer who returns to Los Angeles after his sister is murdered to find her killer… and kill it. Things get a little complicated after that.
  • Mel forgot to mention that the cover art for both books was done by Chris McGrath (a former recommendation himself)!

 

Social Media Recommendations:

Kelly: @BeccaFaceXO:

  Mel: @A_Single_Bear: A Bear.

 

Want to subscribe to the Nurture and Support podcast??   Our feed – http://nurtureandsupport.net/feed/podcast  iTunes – Nurture and Support Thanks for listening! Mel (@karmic9) and Kelly (@kellythul)

Episode 53 – Freddie and the Dragon Rebels

This week we cover dragons, a Iron Bull, and a jedi!

Mel’s Recommendation:

Game: Dragon Age: Inquisition by Bioware

  • If you haven’t played the previous 2 games in the series, make sure to go to dragonagekeep.com to learn the backstory of the world.
  • This is a fantasy rpg where you can play as a Mage, Warrior, or a Rogue. You also choose from 4 possible races: Human, Elf, Dwarf, or Quinari.
  • Freddie Prinze Jr. does the voice of a very popular character called The Iron Bull.  He’s a quite popular choice for the Romance story line. Regardless, he has some great dialogue in the game. I’m a glutton for punishment, so I went with Blackwall, the great bearded angst man.
  • It’s a really big story with a lot of entertaining interactions with different characters. Make sure to talk to everyone; you never know who will trigger a new quest line.
  • The combat system is pretty standard for these types of games, with the addition of a Tactical mode. This special combat mode pauses the fight and allows you to direct your attacks (or heals) more easily. It took me a while to get used to, but it’s quite useful.
  • It’s available for PC (of course), and XBOX One/PS4 for you console players.
DAIScenery

My Dalish Elf Mage

Kelly’s Recommendation:

StarWarsRebels

TV Series: Star Wars Rebels on DisneyXD

  • A 2014 animated show that is part of the Star Wars canon that takes place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
  • More Freddie Prinze, Jr! He voices the character Kanan Jarrus, former Jedi.
  • Has a diverse cast that even passes the Bechdel Test!
  • A lot of the characters are based on the Ralph McQuarrie sketches made for the original Star Wars script.
  • Jar Jar free… so far!!
  • And seriously, who doesn’t want this lightsaber?

Inqsaber2

Social Media Recommendations:

Mel: @pooblemoo: a true champion of The Hashtag Game on twitter.

Kelly: PewDiePie on Youtube: Fun, fun, fun gaming videos.

Want to subscribe to the Nurture and Support podcast??   Our feed – http://nurtureandsupport.net/feed/podcast  iTunes – Nurture and Support Thanks for listening! Mel (@karmic9) and Kelly (@kellythul)

Episode 52 – One Year!!!!

We have been “sharing all the awesome” for ONE YEAR!  Thanks to all of you who have listened. commented, retweeted, fav-ed, etc…  we truly appreciate it.

 

Kelly’s favorite Mel recommendation: Loot Crate http://www.lootcrate.com/ (episode 3)

Kelly’s Top 10

VivaJoeStrummer

  1. Viva Joe Strummer – The Clash and Beyond (episode 12)
  2. Monument Valley (episode 31)
  3. QR Codes Kill Kittens: How to Alienate Customers, Dishearten Employees, and Drive Customers Away (episode 1)
  4. Alice Cooper – Special Forces (episode 38)
  5. gifgifmedia.mit.edu (episode 15)
  6. Suck (episode 21)
  7. Attack on Titan (episode 32)
  8. Bean Salsa (episode 21)
  9. Escape From Tomorrow: Bad Things Happen Everywhere (episode 30)
  10. Captain Beefheart – Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (episode 3)

 

Mel’s favorite Kelly recommendation: Suck (episode 21) Yes! I finally watched it and it was so awesome. I’d like to also mention that Kelly’s Bean Salsa from the same episode was a very close second though.

Mel’s Top 10

The Martian

  1. The Martian by Andy Weir (episode 22)
  2. Zombies, Run! Running App by Six To Start (episode 7 and 20)
  3. The Broken Empire Trilogy by Mark Lawrence (episode 5)
  4. Snowpiercer (episode 31)
  5. Bel Dame Apocrypha (aka God’s War Trilogy) by Kameron Hurley (episode 12)
  6. Side Meier’s Alpha Centauri/ Alien Crossfire (episode 23)
  7. The Broken Bride by Ludo (episode 15)
  8. Stuff You Should Know Podcast (episode 10)
  9. Loot Crate (episode 3)
  10. Thug Kitchen: Eat Like you Give A F*ck by thugkitchen.com (episode 47)

 

 Shout outs

  • Thanks to Alicia for her awesome composition and performance of our theme song
  • Thanks to Matt for the best voice over help anyone could want
  • Thanks to all our fantastic guests this year: Alicia, Matt , JeansTony, Mike, Rachael, John, and Helena
  • Thanks to Teresa and Dan for their e-mail recommendations
  • Thanks to Vicki for her ongoing Twitter support

To see a running list of ALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS we’ve made, check out the “Recommendation Summary” tab at the top of the page!

Want to subscribe to the Nurture and Support podcast??   Our feed – http://nurtureandsupport.net/feed/podcast  iTunes – Nurture and Support Thanks for listening! Mel (@karmic9) and Kelly (@kellythul)

Episode 51- Do Hawks and Robots like Acid Bubblegum?

We;ve got a Special Guest this week, Mike @OfficialPagan Bilinski! We talk about Bruce Willis movies, Big Hero 6, Alice Cooper, and eventually get all the way back to more Graham Parker.

 

Mel’s Recommendation:

HudsonHawk

Movie: Hudson Hawk (1991)

  • Bruce Willis, Danny Aiello, and Andie Macdowell bumble, fumble, and sing while trying to save the world from 2 sociopathic megalomaniacs (Richard E Grant and Sandra Bernhardt).
  • Seriously, Bruce Willis and Danny Aiello sing.
  • It’s fun! It’s quirky! It has a fantastic cast! Who was in Hudson Hawk that was also in Firefly? Listen to find out!
  • Bunny, ball ball.

 

Mike’s Recommendation:

You should already be following Mike @OfficialPagan since he was recommended by @TonySolo back in Episode 26. Here are his particulars:

Youtube: OfficialPaganMusic, here’s a direct link to Bitter ft Richard Fortus!

Live365: Loud N Loaded Channel: We’ll be joining the schedule soon!

Now for the ROBOTS!

Big_Hero_(film)_poster_003

Movie: Big Hero 6

  • Mike Says it’s great BUT it has nothing to do with the Comic Book it’s supposed to be based on.
  • It’s a good movie for both young and old that harkens back to “Old Disney”
  • We also ramble amusingly about Robocop, Randy Newman, Alice Cooper, Dark Shadows, Animaniacs, Gene Simmons, Final Destination, and finally Avatar!

Kelly’s Recommendation:

AcidBubblegum

Music: Graham Parker – Acid Bubblegum (1996)

  • More Angry Graham Parker!
  • Peppy little songs about hate!
  • “I’m not selling molasses, I’m not selling tea”
  • He snarls at his record label, Jane Fonda, Aretha Franklin, and accountants.
  • “Jet lagged Jiminy Cricket”
  • Listen to the Acid Bubblegum on Spotify!

 

Social Media Recommenadtions:

Mel: @TheClurichaun: Patrick runs a twitter group called Late Night Movie. They get together and Saturday nights and watch movies together in a chatroom.

Mike: @ChristianMenses: the bass player of Psychotica!

Kelly: @Sean_Schick: Sean and Kelly have a name calling contest going on twitter. Follow him and call him a “Jerk” for Kelly. #JerkWars

 

 

Want to subscribe to the Nurture and Support podcast??   Our feed – http://nurtureandsupport.net/feed/podcast  iTunes – Nurture and Support Thanks for listening! Mel (@karmic9) and Kelly (@kellythul)

Episode 50 – Andy Warhol and the Cube

We’ve got an album about Andy Warhol and an iOS Cube game this week. Then it’s all wrapped up with some Steampunk and a little bit of Francois.

 Kelly’s Recommendation

SongsForDrella

Music: Songs for Drella (Album) by Lou Reed and John Cale (1990)

  • An Andy Warhol tribute album by former members of The Velvet Underground.
  • Gives a chronological musical depiction of Andy’s life.
  • Available everywhere: iTunes, Amazon, Google, Spotify.

 

Mel’s Recommendation

Cubes3D

Game App: Cubes 3D Revolution by Simiotica

  • Probably Mel’s oldest app on her phone.
  • It’s a slick scifi themed iOS “Match 3” type game that involves rotating cubes to make your matches.
  • It great fun, oddly addicting, and FREE!
  • Sadly it appears that the app is no longer supported, but it’s free so enjoy it while it still works.
  • Get it here on iTunes.

Social Media Recommendations:

Kelly: @karmic9: Kelly pointed out the fact that, while Mel doesn’t tweet often, when she does, it is AWESOME.  She will make your Walking Dead or bad SyFy movie experience better – follow her!  AWWWW!

Also go check out @thelipscombe: Jesse Lipscombe the actor behind #francoisproblems on Mutant World.


Mel: @worldofsteam: The World of Steam on Youtube: they are making some really good Steampunk web videos.

 

Want to subscribe to the Nurture and Support podcast??   Our feed – http://nurtureandsupport.net/feed/podcast  iTunes – Nurture and Support Thanks for listening! Mel (@karmic9) and Kelly (@kellythul)

Episode 49 – Zombies Syncing with the Gas Mask Chicken

Miss Manners raises chickens during the ‘almost apocalypse” and AMC rocks the Zombie Apocalypse with The Walking Dead Story Sync.

Mel’s Recommendation:

AnEtiquetteGuide

Book: An Etiquette Guide to the End Times by Maia Sepp

  • A very enjoyable novella about maintaining good manners during the apocalypse.
  • There’s no more Twitter and the Internet is down, so people area little stressed.
  • Plus there is a chicken in a gas mask on the cover! 

 

Kelly’s Recommendation:

AMCStorySync

App: AMC Story Sync for The Walking Dead and Talking Dead

  • Story Sync for The Walking Dead is available as an app (Android, iOS) for your tablet, OR online at AMC’s website.
  • Play along with other viewers with polls and the CARNAGE METER and the MORALITY MATRIX! We all need more Morality Matrix!
  • One cool feature is that a guest on Talking Dead also takes the polls along with you.
  • Talking Dead doesn’t do the experience quite as well, but it’s steadily improving. Check it out here.

 

Social Media Recommendations:

We’re taking this week off, why don’t you folks give us a few? Please?

 

Want to subscribe to the Nurture and Support podcast??   Our feed – http://nurtureandsupport.net/feed/podcast  iTunes – Nurture and Support Thanks for listening! Mel (@karmic9) and Kelly (@kellythul)

Episode 48 – Space Showoffs

This week, we have an app that turns watching tv into a game, and a strategy/sim game that takes humanity to space.

Kelly’s Recommendation:

App: SHOWoff Television Gaming App

  • An iOS only app where you are challenged to make predictions for some of your favorite tv shows to earn points and leave your friends in the dust.
  • It’s like Fantasy Football for non-sports people. (cough…Mel)
  • DOES NOT require Facebook to create an account.

 

 

Mel’s Recommendation:

CivBeyondEarth

Game: Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth

  • The latest game in the Civ franchise takes humanity to another planet to continue the quest for Supremacy.
  • If your familiar with Civ 5, you won’t find anything particularly new here. Unfortunately, this isn’t quite as enjoyable as Alpha Centauri, but there is a lot of room for addons, so I’m still hoping.
  • Update: I almost won my 2nd game. I was soooo close! Try, try again.

 

 

Social Media Recommendations:

Kelly: @Josh McDermitt: Eugene on The Walking Dead. Respect the mullet.

Mel: NerdECrafter on youtube: creator of cool polymer clay nerd related crafts like Dancing Baby Groot! On twitter, she’s @nerdecrafter

 

Want to subscribe to the Nurture and Support podcast??   Our feed – http://nurtureandsupport.net/feed/podcast  iTunes – Nurture and Support Thanks for listening! Mel (@karmic9) and Kelly (@kellythul)

Episode 47 – Eat and drink like you ******* care

 

Mel’s Recommendation:

ThugKitchen

Book: Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a F*ck

  • A HILARIOUSLY profane vegetarian book from the folks over at ThugKitchen.com. The F word abounds. Abounds!
  • Be warned, this is not a cookbook you want to give to your grandma though…. unless your grandma is AWESOME!

The Book Trailer below contains awesomeness and a lot of BAD WORDS.

 

Kelly’s Recommendation:

DrunkHistory

TV Series: Drunk History on Comedy Central

  • Drunk History started out as a skit on Funny or Die, but Comedy Central decided to turn it into a series with hilarious results.
  • Essentially very drunk people teach you history while real actors reenact the historical event.
  • It’s surprisingly educational.

 

Drunk History with Bob Odenkirk as Nixon! (see more Bob Odenkirk related awesomeness below.)

 

Kelly has put forth the notion that we should do a Drunk Nurture and Support. What do you folks think? Who do you think would pass out puke first? #DrunkNurtAndSupp

Social Media Recommendations:

Mel: @theonlygolden: a lovely lady who’s not afraid to express herself.

Kelly: @BetterCallSaul: The official twitter account of the upcoming Breaking Bad spinoff. Follow and prepare yourself!

 

Want to subscribe to the Nurture and Support podcast??   Our feed – http://nurtureandsupport.net/feed/podcast  iTunes – Nurture and Support Thanks for listening! Mel (@karmic9) and Kelly (@kellythul)

Episode 46 – Twitchy, non-sparkling, vampires

Kelly’s Recommendation:

Watching Dead

Podcast: Watching Dead at BaldMove.com

  • Jim and A. Ron of BaldMove talk about each episode of The Walking Dead.
  • Be advised that the language is colorful.
  • They have recently started playthroughs of The Walking Dead Season 2 game over on Twitch (see below).

twitch

Service: Twitch

  • Twitch is a video service that allows anyone to broadcast livestreams online. It is primarily used by gamers, but more artists are using it to show how they create their digital masterpieces.
  • Each broadcast has a chatroom which allows real time interactions between viewers and the broadcaster.
  • If you use the Raptr gaming service, Twitch support is built in!

 

Mel’s Recommendation:

MyBabysitterVampire-R2DVD

Movie: My Babysitter’s a Vampire (movie)

  • This Canadian made for tv movie was also turned into a tv series.
  • 2 mathletes discover their babysitter is actually a fledgling vampire.
  • This geek-filled vampire romp involves a popular movie series called Dusk that closely parodies Twilight. It also involves the use of homemade UV emitting lightsabers made out of grandma’s tanning bed bulbs. What’s not to love?
  • Available on Netflix!

 

Social Media Recommendations:

Kelly:  @RandyOrtonedRKO  It’s so awesome, it doesn’t need words. (Twitter account updated after show)

http://youtu.be/YU36_uOLweQ

 

Mel: @ExtraLife4Kids: Every year gamers and Extra Life get together to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network by doing 24 hour gaming marathons that are broadcast on Twitch. Check out the action on Saturday Oct. 25, 2014!


Want to subscribe to the Nurture and Support podcast??   Our feed – http://nurtureandsupport.net/feed/podcast  iTunes – Nurture and Support Thanks for listening! Mel (@karmic9) and Kelly (@kellythul)