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Nonsense Podcast

arthwollipot

Observer of Phenomena, Pronouns: he/him
arthwollipot
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
93,697
Location
Ngunnawal Country
I am now officially a co-host for the upcoming Nonsense Podcast. We don't actually have a link yet, because we're still in the planning stages. But we have a Facebook group.

The Nonsense Podcast is intended to highligh the latest in pseudoscientific news and lack of critical thinking by journalists in the mainstream media. The podcast will also include interviews and research performed by the Nonsense Team (so far, Jason and Me).

We don't actually have anything as yet, although if you'd like to hear a sample of the kind of things I intend to contribute, here's my "audition tape": An examination of the phenomenon of speaking in tongues.

Jason and I have some big plans for publicity and outreach. I will definitely keep the JREF up to date on the developments in this project.

Let me know if you would like to be involved.
 
I got back tonight from an afternoon in Sydney, doing primary recording for Episode Zero of the Nonsense Podcast. We should have it online and available for download within a few days. The link will be nonsensepodcast.com (don't go there just yet...) but we'll also have it available on iTunes and all major podcast hosts.

In Episode Zero, we introduce the podcast and what it's all about, outline the various segments we are planning, and interview each other for our "Get to know a skeptic" segment. By the end of the Quickies, we were riffing off each other like pros. It took us only a couple of hours recording, plus three hours editing on Jason's part, and it's all done.

It was fun. It was a lot of fun. Of course, I did have the delightful Navigatrix to keep me company on the drive up and back, which was nice.
 
One thing's for sure. You will never run out of material, the whole bable is at your disposal. :)
 
Joined your group, although I am a novice on Facebook.

And you have a very good speaking voice wolli. Good luck.
 
No, the three of us. We were all under your bed holding our breath. :)

Did you know that you talk in your sleep?
 
lionking said:
That was you on the "speaking in tongues" link that I downloaded?
Click to expand...
Yes, that would be the one. That was my "audition tape" for the podcast. I think it sounds too scripted, because it was. The actual podcast recording was a lot more impromptu, and sounds like it.
 
Episode Zero has been posted!


...in the wrong format.

Not to worry, Jason's doing the conversion right now, and very shortly we'll have it available as an mp3.

iTunes submission will probably take a couple of days, but in the meantime, if you can manage m4a files, the link is:

http://nonsensepodcast.libsyn.com/
 
Now re-posted in MP3 format.

In Episode Zero, Jason and I introduce the podcast, and outline what the plans are for the future. We also introduce ourselves by interviewing each other for the Get To Know Your Skeptic segment.

Enjoy! Episode One (which will be the first to follow the structure we outline here) will be posted in about two weeks.
 
The Nonsense Podcast is officially available on iTunes!

Search for "Nonsense Podcast" and subscribe to the one by Jason Hameister. That's us!
 
Just finished listening to it... a great introductory episode! I like the variety of segments you've got planned. The interviews with famous skeptics should be good, if your interviewing of each other is anything to go by - that was my favourite bit - it was good banter. Well done, Arth!
 
arthwollipot said:
Thanks Plumjam. I think...

Want to be interviewed? :D
Click to expand...

No thanks. I'm sure there's a limit to the amount of nonsense your listeners will be willing to bear ;)

On a more serious note, do you think it'll be easy to get willing interviewees for a show named 'The Nonsense Podcast', and described in iTunes as "Demystifying the nonsense people believe"?
What could budding 'nonsense-believing' interviewees reasonably hope to gain by going on a show which has that kind of billing?
Even if you treat them with kid gloves during the interview, the implication is still that these are people who believe in nonsense.
Unless, perhaps, the idea is to interview people about other people who purportedly believe in nonsense.

Anyway, I listened to the first one and thought you both came across very well. I could see you (actually, hear you) having your own radio show.
There wasn't much content, but that's understandable in a first show.
 
It has enormous potential, with one proviso. Like Plumjam I think you may struggle a little to get good subjects and bunkum believing interviewees though. I wish you both the best of luck.
 
Well, yes. That's why I was at pains in Episode Zero to stress the purpose of the God's Word segment. I'm pretty sure that most followers of the various relitions would agree that there is a lot of nonsense around religion. I'm hoping to be able to get people to talk about that. My ultimate ambition is to get an interview with a Jesuit...
 
I've just tonight finished primary recording for Episode One of the podcast. This episode will feature Barry the Giant Sea Worm, UFOs, biodynamic farming practices, and getting to know Richard Saunders of the Australian Skeptics and the Skeptic Zone.

We also recorded a promo piece which Richard has promised to add to the Skeptic Zone - same episode as the Stephen Fry interview! :yahoo

Fame and fortune, here we come!

Well, fame, anyway. Moderate fame. Okay, a little bit of fame. As of a few days ago we apparently had a hundred-and-fifty-something downloads on iTunes, and our Rating is towards the top end of the bar. We also have 201 members in our Facebook group, and we're the second top result in a Google search for "Nonsense Podcast".

My big news for this week is that Nate Phelps has informally agreed to do an interview with me for the God's Word segment. That will be fascinating. All we have to do is work out the 10-hour time difference...
 
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Wow, lots to look forward to!

Congrats on your success so far, Arth. Let us know when the next episode is up.
 
This is a bit of a teaser, but for the next episode I'm hoping for a God's Word segment.

I'm trying to line up an interview with Nate Phelps, an estranged son of Westboro Baptist Church pastor Fred Phelps. I've had some fairly significant technical difficulties, so I've got some backups, but with any luck...
 
Let me just say here that Jason's editing skills are legendary. There was so much more to the original recording that was really not necessary, and Jason managed to cut it so that the pacing worked - especially during the Pseudo News segment.
 
Arth,
I like the podcast, although I have one minor complaint. Your mic seems to be too low. When you and Jason are chatting, he comes booming through and I have to strain to hear you.

That being said, I'm happy that you guys are trying to not be just another podcast. The "Get to know a skeptic" segment is fun. keep it up.
 
Yes, I understand. It's not the first time someone's mentioned that. :) Well, the problem is basically that Jason is a professional audio engineer and I'm an IT phone jockey. Hence he has expensive high quality microphones and I have a cheap headset. Plus, he lives in Sydney and I live in Canberra, so we do the recordings over Skype.

I am hoping to rectify the problem sometime soon with a decent mike and setup, but right now I have to make do with what we've got.

Anyway, Derek and Swoopy reckon the first five episodes are always awful. The important thing is that we're doing it. We'll get on our feet after another few episodes.
 
arthwollipot said:
Yes, I understand. It's not the first time someone's mentioned that. :) Well, the problem is basically that Jason is a professional audio engineer and I'm an IT phone jockey. Hence he has expensive high quality microphones and I have a cheap headset. Plus, he lives in Sydney and I live in Canberra, so we do the recordings over Skype.

I am hoping to rectify the problem sometime soon with a decent mike and setup, but right now I have to make do with what we've got.

Anyway, Derek and Swoopy reckon the first five episodes are always awful. The important thing is that we're doing it. We'll get on our feet after another few episodes.
Click to expand...

True. I guess if my biggest complaint is that half the team is a little soft, volume wise, then it's not that bad, huh?

Well, the volume and those outrageous accents. Did you learn to podcast from Rich Orman? ;)
 
kmortis said:
True. I guess if my biggest complaint is that half the team is a little soft, volume wise, then it's not that bad, huh?

Well, the volume and those outrageous accents. Did you learn to podcast from Rich Orman? ;)
Click to expand...
What outrageous accents?? :D

Who's Rich Orman?
 
Completed recording of the second episode tonight. We'll be featuring media reporting of acupuncture, the Case of the Fake Popemobile, condoms, the Mind/Body/SpiritWallet festival, and getting to know Ordinary Guy from the BrainsMatter podcast.

We actually had a small technical difficulty this time. While Jason has the entire session recorded at his end, we normally do a recording from my end as a backup. For some reason the Skype call dropped out halfway through and I only managed to get the stuff before the dropout. For some reason my system did not record the second half of the session.

The good news is that I have a decent microphone. It wasn't ready for this session, but I'm hoping that I'll have the setup... er, set up... ready for Episode 3.
 
arthwollipot said:
Are you accusing me of putting on a fake accent? Just for a podcast?
Click to expand...

Well, yeah. It's a well known fact1 that all non-English languages and non-American accents are put on for the benefits of Americans. It makes it so that it seems like we're not alone. We really do appreciate the effort.




1by "fact" I mean, of course, that I made it up out of whole cloth, one drunken night in Montreal.
 
Of course, because everyone knows that American English is the only true English, and that English English is just an affectation.

BTW, turns out that the technical problem I mentioned is pretty serious and we have to re-record the second half of the show tomorrow night. Jason's recording is plagued by broadband-induced compression artefacts and can't be used.
 
arthwollipot said:
Of course, because everyone knows that American English is the only True Englishtm, and that English English is just an affectation.

BTW, turns out that the technical problem I mentioned is pretty serious and we have to re-record the second half of the show tomorrow night. Jason's recording is plagued by broadband-induced compression artefacts and can't be used.
Click to expand...

Fixed that for you.

Too bad to hear. Or, rather not hear yet. Of course, when I first read your post, I thought you were referring to an EMI problem. Then I realized that not everything is work related.
 
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