Podcast, You Tube, Blog, Recommendations, Blaugust 2019 Roger Edwards Podcast, You Tube, Blog, Recommendations, Blaugust 2019 Roger Edwards

More Podcast and You Tube Recommendations

As part of the Blaugust Festival of Blogging, I thought I’d take the time to promote some of the content creators whose work I enjoy. Despite all the white noise, click bait and snake oil salesmen, there is still a wealth of good material to be found online, be it blogs, podcasts, You Tube channels or streamers. Most of what I currently enjoy, I discovered through word of mouth. I feel more disposed towards trusting the views and opinions of friends than I do of “recommendations” made by Google and You Tube, driven by their “questionable” algorithms. These are often determined by key words and have no ability to ascertain quality. So here are a mixture of You Tube channels, podcasts and blogs that I wholeheartedly recommend. Between them they cover such subjects as movies, gaming, comedy and history. Feel free to leave comments about my choices and share your own recommendations.

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Get Your House in Order

Theoretically, the fallout from the Christchurch mass shooting should be far reaching. There is at present an opportunity to address numerous problems and issues while the tragedy still has both political and social momentum. Because “it is the doom of man that he forgets”. 24-hour news culture has severely strained the public’s attention span. Plus it is in the interests of numerous institutions for the news cycle to move on, because current scrutiny is highlighting how culpable they are. The tabloid press, media commentators, tech companies and internet communities have been found wanting for a while and last weeks carnage is now raising questions over their involvement in the growing culture of hate and therefore their potential regulation. This may be the last chance for many to put their own house in order before the establishment does. And considering the knee-jerk, ham-fisted nature of contemporary western politics, the latter is not likely to be either subtle, efficient or even beneficial.

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The Varying Quality of You Tube Content

"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent". Qui-Gon Jinn

I’m sure this has happened to many of you before. You’re playing a video game and you have a particular question regarding it. How do I reach a specific location on the map? Is there an optimal build for a certain class? Where can I get a certain item? A quick Google search returns multiple results but most of them are videos rather than text-based answers, so you opt to watch one to get the answer that you seek. However, you then notice that your simple enquiry somehow merits a video that lasts twelve minutes. You then spend your precious time enduring a rambling diatribe from someone who clearly hasn’t scripted a succinct explanation. If you’re lucky you may get the answer that you seek, or you may end up wasting your time entirely. Should you perhaps watch another video? Needless to say, you eventually go back and read one of the written answers.

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Podcast, You Tube, Recommendations Roger Edwards Podcast, You Tube, Recommendations Roger Edwards

Podcast and You Tube Recommendations

I have no problems finding podcasts and You Tube channels that explore the subjects that I like. It’s determining which ones are any good that is the real trick and the only way to do this is to sit down and listen or watch them. Sometimes you need to give two or three episodes a go before you can truly determine if a show is for you.  So, I thought it may be useful to share another small selection of the content that I am currently enjoying, so you don’t have to wade through quite so much “white noise” that fills the internet. I’ve made a conscious decision to select a broader spectrum of material and not to focus just on gaming. All the shows recommended are freely available although you can support the content creators if you wish to. Feel free to leave comments on the titles listed and share your own recommendations. 

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Money Changes Everything

When I look back at the various posts I’ve written about gaming over the past decade, several themes regularly occur. Player toxicity, marketing hype and industry shenanigans are three that never seem to go away. Pre-order culture, fans enthusiasm and launch day disappointment are also perennial bad pennies. However, there is one point that I constantly find myself reiterating. Yet despite its staggeringly obvious nature it is habitually overlooked and ignored. Namely that money changes everything. Regardless of the nature of a situation, be it the cost of an item in the cash store, alterations to a games mechanics or the relationship between a You Tube personality and their audience, if it involves some sort of financial exchange then it fundamentally alters the dynamic of that given situation.

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Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)

As a sequel is due out in September, I thought I’d revisit Kingsman: The Secret Service. Contrary to the movies titles and the implied homage seen in the various trailers, the film is not as clichéd as the genre it's set in. Nor does it draw too heavily from its graphic novel source material. As with Kick Ass director Matthew Vaughn has managed to smooth over the rough edges of this films antecedents and create a rather unique, stylised and extremely entertaining hybrid. It is a somewhat niche market undertaking and won't appeal to all audiences but if you like all out action, knowing satire and a liberal dose of gallows humour then this movie is most likely for you. 

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Podcast, Burton & Scrooge, LOTRO, Sherlock, You Tube Roger Edwards Podcast, Burton & Scrooge, LOTRO, Sherlock, You Tube Roger Edwards

Burton & Scrooge Podcast #31

After a short hiatus, Messrs Burton and Scrooge make a welcome return to the world of podcasting with their lavishly tooled and finely crafted show. No expense has been spared upon the production as once again this esteemed broadcasting duo, bring you another erudite and august debate. As ever they focus on the relevant issues and ensure that their scholarly discussions are free from unnecessary phatic language and tabloid hyperbole. The podcast also sports a new introductory voiceover and complimentary epilogue at the close of the show. Liam Neeson has graciously endorsed Burton and Scrooge yet again.

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